Pure and Simple
Diane White
Full TRACKSHUN Productions
1999
12 tracks
Move over Diana Krall. There's another Canadian jazz singer moving up to share the diva throne. Ottawa's Diane White brings a stylish cosmopolitan feel to the songs she sings. While she is clearly able to interpet the standards with a certain authority and respect, White's music is more modern, with a funky, bluesy, sometimes pop edge. If there's a feeling of tradition in her sound, it's not so much of the Thirties and Forties. White's music has more the fullness and edginess heard in many recordings during the late Sixties and early Seventies. This is multi-facetted jazz underscored with a cool pop-rock drive.
White has a sweet voice that one might expect to be too soft, yet she interprets lyrics with emotion that gives her voice the power to grab and hold a listener's attention. The range and variety of songs on this release affords her the opportunity to demonstrate her substantial talent.
It appears that part of White's talent is in finding musicians whose abilities match and complement her own. In every song, her band gets a solid groove going, carrying the music forward with combination of grace and style. Here's a trumpet that ranges from Harry James to Freddie Hubbard with maybe even a bit of Don Ellis thrown in. Here's percussion that includes kit drums plus a variety of hand drums and shakey things, all balanced to feel at home in whatever song White chooses to sing. The sax wails without ever being intrusive or overbearing and the keys range from piano lounge cool to Sixties B3 groove, and everything in between.
White is a singer who dares to give the classics her own interpretation, and she does it with class. Her "God Bless the Child" is slow and soulful, an interpretation that emphasizes the story with a true blues feeling. The feeling is contemporary yet somehow carries with it all the tradition that lies behind this song.
Steve Allen's "Gravy Waltz" is a slow, bright, celebration of home and kitchen with a cool, danceable groove underlying it all. White's interpretation is a real pleasure to hear. Even on several listens, it never gets tired or boring. In fact, this is true of all the songs on this release. Every listen reveals something new and interesting in the musical arrangement or in her particular interpretation of the lyric. This is performance with some depth.
White brings to "Smooth Operator" a lively yet soulful feel that rolls over the listener like cool ocean spray on a hot sunny day. This is a cool, comfortable sound that, while performed as jazz, would fit comfortably into a variety of radio formats.
The final track on Pure and Simple, "Ugly Beauty" comes as a surprise. A slow, quiet piano number played by White, "Ugly Beauty" has no vocal at all. It's an interesting departure for a singer's release.
The quality of this performance is high and consistent. If she can maintain her performance at this level, Diane White is a singer we should be hearing lot of. In the meantime, Pure and Simple will make a tasteful addition to anyone's jazz library.
To learn more about this up and coming Canadian jazz singer, visit her home at www.fulltrackshun.com.|
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