Cæcilie Norby
My Corner of the Sky (Blue Note 53422)

Cæcilie Norby is a Danish chanteuse with a funky voice and a remarkable ability for investing lesser songs with a lot of passion. Several of the cuts on My Corner of the Sky are covers that beat the original versions, and she even lays down one standard that has never been done better ("Suppertime").

Few singers could open an album with "The Look of Love" nowadays and have it be fresh; it actually is fresh here. Several of the songs (particularly the more recent pop covers) have a slightly Holiday Inn-lounge jazz feel, but the precision of the band and Norby's voice keep things from getting cheesy.

"The Right to Love" (a Lalo Schifrin/Gene Lees tune) better reflects Norby's taste and talent. Her voice (backed by a trio) is full and soulful (typical Danish vocalist), emoting without becoming overbearing. Track 3 is an organ-driven cover of Sting's "Set Them Free," and while I've never really bought that Sting is some sort of contemporary jazz standard writer, the song does work well in this context.

Personally, I'd like people to stop encouraging Sting to think he's all that; the guy hasn't made a worthwhile record in ten years. Too much Tantric sex saps your muse, I guess.

"Suppertime," not one of my favorite standards, is given a magnificent reading here; the song is perfectly suited to Norby's voice and she performs it with great emotion. This is followed by the stupefying "African Fairytale," a version of Wayne Shorter's "Footprints" (from Miles Smiles) to which Norby has written some great lyrics.

This is one of the best jazz vocal performances ever, truly a tour-de-force. Wayne Shorter has never been so accessible. The winning streak continues with a cover of David Bowie's "Life on Mars," which I think actually bests the rock version by taking the song into a more introspective place, augmented greatly by Randy Brecker's aching flugelhorn (that should be the name of a fusion band, now that I think of it).

The majesty of these three consecutive gems is offset a bit by an ill-chosen attempt at "Spinning Wheel," which sticks out like a broken nose. They could never top the Songs From Sesame Street – Not the Original Soundtrack version, and at any rate it's just not a good song. Oh, well, we will give Cæcilie and band the benefit of the doubt, although this may be the rotten something in Denmark Shakespeare referred to.

The rest of the album slows down a bit, settling into something of a late night feel with "What Do You See in Her," a brisk "Just One Of Those Things" (Cole Porter could be done by a speed metal band and it would still seem like an "after midnight" type of thing), and the haunting "Snow" (one of the album's many highlights).

The CD ends with a wonderful take on Leon Russell's "A Song For You" (not beating the Carpenters, but it's up there) and another ballad, "Calling You." The last five tracks erase the unpleasantness caused by the sudden party-crashing of "Spinning Wheel," leaving an impression of the album as having been enormously satisfying.

Repeat listens (with judicious programming to avoid any unnecessary memories of Blood, Sweat, & Tears) have only made me like the album more.

Blue Note is a long way from their heyday, but it's heartening to know that fresh music still emanates from the greatest of jazz labels. It's funny that Blue Note has become more reliable for vocal jazz than instrumental jazz these days, considering the small number of vocalists that recorded for the label between 1940 and 1970.

Maybe it's all about marketing. But good music is always good music, and this is damn good music.

Loud Bassoon rating scale

Review by Brownberry Bear