COMPOSERS: Polly Gibbons
LABELS: Resonance Records
ALBUM TITLE: Polly Gibbons
WORKS: Is It Me…?
PERFORMER: Polly Gibbons (vocals), James Pearson, Tamir Hendelman (piano), Shedrick Mitchell (organ), Graham Dechter (guitar), Kevin Axt (bass) et al
CATALOGUE NO: RCD-1025
Jazz has done well to hold on to young singer Polly Gibbons. Her soulful voice and telegenic looks put her on a par with media-friendly middle-of-the-road stars like Joss Stone and Adele. But Gibbons has stayed true to her jazz roots and this, her third album, is another real treat for purists – not least because the singer is accompanied by a fiercely swinging, tightly arranged big band.
It’s a choice programme, with high intensity interpretations of standards like ‘Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams’ and ‘Basin St Blues’, as well as gospel-infused belters like Aretha Franklin’s ‘Dr Feelgood’. Three smart originals, co-written with James Pearson, are surely strong enough to actually become standards themselves.
But Gibbons has got such a gorgeous sound, range and swinging sense of time that she could probably set the house on fire with nothing more than a book of nursery rhymes.
Garry Booth
Listen to an excerpt from this recording here.