There's a joke about
jazz vocalists that goes like this: how many
jazz singers does it take to sing
"My Funny Valentine"? All of them. That joke is making fun of the countless
jazz singers who insist on recording nothing but
Tin Pan Alley warhorses that -- as great as they are -- have been recorded much too often over the years. But not all
jazz singers have a warhorses-only policy, and risk-takers like
Claire Martin,
Cassandra Wilson, and the Philadelphia-based
Lou Lanza are doing
vocal jazz a huge favor by having adventurous, far-reaching repertoires that aren't limited to
Tin Pan Alley.
Jacqui Naylor is another risk-taking
jazz vocalist with an interesting repertoire, but there's a catch: she's also a folk-rocker -- and her
folk-rock side has the upper hand on
Shelter.
Naylor has been dividing her time between a
folk-rock/
adult alternative aesthetic and
vocal jazz; she's compelling in both areas, but whether
Naylor favors one or the other all depends on what a particular song calls for. Interestingly, the most
jazz-oriented thing on
Shelter is an interpretation of
the Rolling Stones'
"Miss You";
Naylor has no problem finding the tune's
jazz potential, and her
jazz side also prevails on
Joan Armatrading's
"Love and Affection" and the
Billie Holiday-ish "All for You" (which
Naylor co-wrote with pianist
Art Khu). But most of the time,
Naylor's
folk-rock side wins out on
Shelter. Most of the 11 songs she co-wrote with
Khu for this album are more
folk-rock than
jazz, and
folk-rock serves
Naylor well on introspective tracks such as
"Before I'm Gone" and
"Free My Love." Some
jazz snobs no doubt wish that
Naylor would perform straight-ahead
jazz exclusively, but she would be selling herself short if she did that -- and thankfully,
Naylor doesn't sell herself short on the memorable
Shelter. ~ Alex Henderson
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