E-z on the ears
Phillip Szymialis | New York | 08/24/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Very nice CD and never thought'Over the Rainbow'could sound so fresh, but it does. All selections are wonderful and presented with great arrangements. She makes it seem effortless, which enhances the laid-back, minimalist style. But don't be fooled; this singer works hard. 'You go to my Head' and 'Trav'llin light' prove that. Excellent."
Rita di Ghent is the modern diva of jazz!
Ori Dagan | Toronto | 07/03/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Canada's indie chanteuse de jazz, Rita di Ghent is a defiant, driven, divine, delectable diva.
After cooking up 'Sprawl' (her own recipe of traditional jazz and urban groove) on the album "The Birth of Sprawl" (you better buy that one if you like this one) di Ghent returns to her jazz roots and records an album of traditional standards. The results are at times miraculous.
As in "Sprawl", this di Ghent defies convention. Most singers that record "Standards" do not also include an original tune. "All Baby Wants is Me" is modern jazz lyric set to a popular bebop form. Basing it on the popular Gershwin changes of "I Got Rhythm", first published in 1930, di Ghent makes it 2001:"Weber and Rice send baby their scores/
Tommy and Calvin design baby's drawers/
but baby's indifferent 'cause all baby wants is me...
Madonna gave baby his very own key/
Giorgio Armani invites him to tea/
But he takes a raincheck 'cause all baby wants is..."The other eleven songs are jazz standards, ranging from popular anthems like "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and "Willow Weep for Me" to the obscure "I Want a Little Boy" and "He Beeped When He Should Have Bopped". What sets Rita apart from today's typical jazz singer is that she takes risks and doesn't always remain completely serious. Her interpertations are original and often theatrical. Check out the sexy last chorus of "Travelin' Light". Through it all Rita improvises, swings like a gate and takes risks that remind one of the glory of Carmen McRae. There are also hints of Nina Simone's bluesy delivery, especially in Simone's "I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl" and "I Loves You Porgy".
If on this album there is one definite classic di Ghent performance it is "You Go to My Head". Making such a popular song sound this good is difficult, considering the timeless versions the singer is competing with; Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and probably a thousand other singers. Rita's version is elegant, sensual, vulnerable, and memorable. Do yourself the favour and pick up this album, you will be hooked to the groovy voice that is the future of jazz: Rita di Ghent."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1