 Melissa Walker This is the sort of album that completely hits the spot if you happen to run across it playing on digital cable radio, or a late-night jazz program on some local radio station that you like. Tasteful, pleasing to the ear, mellow, and quite pretty …though going so far as owning it is a fairly arbitrary act. Melissa Walker possesses a smooth, controlled voice that is very enticing, though devoid of an individual character that makes the great voices great – none of the deep investment of Sarah Vaughan, the charisma of Ella Fitzgerald, the yearning of Billie Holiday, the quiet expressiveness of Shirley Horn … she's got tiny flashes of each of these qualities here and there, but nothing that leaves a definite impression by the time the disc has ended. I'd say that if anything, what she's got going for her is taste – the CD boasts a well-chosen (though unchallenging) track listing and a nice (though fairly unremarkable) supporting cast, which includes Gary Bartz, playing in a lyrical mode that won't do much for fans of his crazier late 60s work. The album mixes standards ("What a Little Moonlight Can Do," "I'm a Fool to Want You") with new tunes ("Little Wishes," "Dancing in the Wings,") and a twinge of Monk ("Ruby My Dear," which features a bit of "Monk's Dream," tacked on as an intro with something less than subtle wit). It's all pretty solid, but really a pretty forgettable session. Still, if you have it, or if you happen to get it, put it on – you'll notice how nice it is. It's cocktail party music – the kind of thing you hear in the background of a party scene in a bland mainstream movie, where maybe they show one shot of the singer during a particularly notable lyric, before flitting away to follow the generic exploits of whatever self-absorbed characters you're supposed to be following. I don't know, perhaps it's about a lawyer who commits a murder and then covers it up. Or what if it's about a socialite conducting a taboo affair right under the nose of her controlling husband? Who cares, they're all the same, and they're all available this month on Showtime. Highlights? "Dancing in the Wings" is nice. "Miss Otis Regrets" is done well. It's all pretty slow, not too much in the way of dynamics. Tasteful instrumentation – flugelhorn, acoustic bass, guitar, alto & soprano sax, piano, drums, percussion. Nothing too fancy, nothing daring. Perfectly fine, that's that. I guess if you really want a Diane Reeves CD but can't afford it, maybe get this one for like $3.95 or something. Probably the target audience is the kind of person who says "Oh I love jazz! I got this great sampler CD with good jazz on it!" People who won't know the difference, you know? People who can't find the spark, people who are easily contented. Not me, man, I'm a restless soul! Now will someone pass me the mashed potatoes, we have to finish dinner – You've Got Mail is on Showtime tonight.
Review by Ouchie Reginalds |