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
Galen Weston
The Space Between
Melton Mustafa
The Traveling Man
WYNTON MARSALIS & MARCUS ROBERTS
TOGETHER AGAIN
MADEiLINE PEYROUX
Half the Perfect World
Mike Longo And The New York State Of The Art Jazz Ensemble
Live From New York
JEFF COFFIN MU'TET
Mutopia
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