Author: Erika Paul

Binding: Audio CD

Release Date: 17-09-2001

Details: Review

Appealing popular songstress...coquettish charm yielding a warm, mellow ambiance...graceful pace...down-to-earth...very engaging...great song selection. -- Cadence Magazine, March 2002

This lady swings...enchantingly sweet...sincerity seems to be the best word to describe this lady's singing...nice record! -- Jazz Now Magazine, October 2002

Product Description

According to Time Magazine's description of style, the music on this recording would fit neatly into the category of classic jazz with a little extra soul. Vocalist, pianist, songwriter and educator Erika Paul weaves her sensitive, sweet vocals and provocative piano solos through 6 original songs she wrote and arranged, and 5 classic standards by Stanley Turrentine, Washington/Young, Charles Trenet, Brandt/Haymes and Joe McCoy. Accompanied by innovatively creative side musicians, Erika takes you on a musical journey as each track unfolds. Musically interesting and different, this cd shows what it means to perform from the heart. Track 1, is an energetic driving blues shuffle vocal original, showcasing a playful vocal scat conversation with a very hip bassman. Track 2 is a swanky swing vocal original featuring everyone in the band and some seriously excellent brushwork on drums. Track 3 is an upbeat latin/swing vocal original that could turn out to be a standard jazz classic. Track 4, Erika stands up to sing her heart out on this classic standard. Track 5, another Paul vocal original, combines the jazz ballad with a salsa groove. Track 6 is a blues standard that just burns with passion and fire from the vocals to the solos through to the very end. Track 7 is another Paul vocal original that features a modern, more hard-driving jazz feel and high energy solos from sax and drums. Track 8 is a beautiful folk-jazz rendition of a 1952 classic, showcasing Erika's sweet vocal ability with only a guitar as accompaniment. Track 9, features Erika's bilingual ability to sing and swing in French and English. Track 10, demonstrates Erika's vocal warmth and charm as she is accompanied by breathtaking piano and bass work on one of the most beautiful ballads ever written. Finally, track 11, a vocal blues Paul original, is playful and spunky, with everyone on the track clearly having some serious fun.

From the Artist

This album was a joyful challenge to create, oversee and produce. The goal was to handle all sorts of feelings and situations around the issue of love and to make each track and each arrangement different in feel and style within the jazz and pop stylistic realms. Although exhausting at times, the journey through the 8 months it took to write, arrange, prepare, rehearse and record this cd proved to be a labor of love that resulted in an interesting and exciting representation of what can be described as an artist's right to self-expression. I can't thank the guys enough on the album for their talents and support: Niall McGuinness on sax and flute, Mark Curry on trumpet, Ed Corey on guitar, Bill Hecht on supporting piano (tracks 10 and 11), Joe Dolister on bass, Tony Savage on drums, Lawrence Connell on sax, Paul Binnings on bass, Brian Landrus on sax, Tony Cataldo on trumpet and Caleb Dolister on drums. I hope our combined efforts on this massive project continues to inspire the support of appreciative listeners in the same way I continue to experience great excitement every time I sit down to listen to what was accomplished on this cd!

About the Artist

Erika has been singing, playing the piano, writing and teaching for as long as she can remember. She feels as comfortable in a combo situation performing her music in an intimate club setting as on a festival stage for larger audiences, and has done so for the past 20 years. As a career music person, when she's not performing for the public, she's bringing the gift of our great jazz heritage to the schools and in the classroom, through live music presentations and hands-on music training. She feels blessed to be

EAN: 0064440000525

Package Dimensions: 5.6 x 5.0 x 0.6 inches