Search - Kendra Shank :: Reflections

While it's not uncommon to hear vocalists likened to saxophonists, Kendra Shank, with her languid phrasing and flatted tones, is often reminiscent of a muted trumpeter. The former folk singer has honed her voice to a point where a few sustained notes can unearth a tune's emotional complexity--check the mixture of game whimsy and bittersweet regret she imparts on "I'm Never Sure." As on her previous records, Shank delivers a unique twist on a contemporary pop song, turning the Beatles' "Let It Be" into a spiritual lifeboat, and she nods to one of her mentors with a heartfelt rendition of Abbey Lincoln's "Throw It Away," breaking into a rare, gentle scat over pizzicato strings. The backing trio (occasionally abetted by Shank on guitar) is accorded perhaps too much space, but singer and ensemble maximize every moment of "A Timeless Place," an aching, sensuous, 10-minute tour de force that may well be Shank's finest recorded song thus far. --Britt Robson