2014-04-06
Hong Kong's Ginger Kwan serves up themes of hope and inspiration on her debut, Kwantum Leap. Smooth jazz backs this vocalist's buoyant lyrics, occasionally delving into reggae ("I Keep In the Line") and bossa nova ("Someday"). All the songs here are original compositions except for the cover of Simply Red's "Your Mirror"; a song with a positive message supported by simple acoustic guitar and finger-snapping. Ms. Kwan's vocals here are lovely, the musicianship is spot-on, and the production is top-notch. It all comes off as rather bland, however. If you like easy-listening vocal jazz that doesn't take risks, you might like this one. Rebecca Ruth
Various Blue Note Artists
Somethin’ New
THE SOULJAZZ ORCHESTRA
Rising Sun
The RH Factor
Distractions
Geoff Muldaur's Futuristic Ensemble
Private Astronomy - A Vision of the Music of Bix Beiderbecke
Sakésho
We Want You to Say...
Catina DeLuna
Lado B Brazilian Project
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