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
MADEiLINE PEYROUX
Half the Perfect World
Manuel Valera Trio
The Seasons
THE DYNAMITES FEATURING CHARLES WALKER
KABOOM
Thad Jones
One More: The Summary: Music of Thad Jones Volume 2
Nora Jones
Not Too Late
JAMES BOOKER
CLASSIFIED REMIXED AND EXPANDED
The opinions expressed in these reviews are those of the individual volunteers that submitted the article and do not necessarily reflect the views of WYCE or GRCMC; nor its staff, donors, or affiliates.