Comments for Wilson, Cassandra, Blue Skies

A fine set of tradional jazz from an untraditional vocalist. This was Cassandra Wilson`s first commercial release, back when she was emerging from New York`s jazz/funk scene. Considering the experimentations and innovations on her two most recent releases, "Blue Light `Til Dawn" and "New Moon Daughter," "Blue Skies" seems like an awfully safe release, but Wilson`s fine vocals save it from the run-of-the-mill standards album level. The nicest surprise is that Cassandra can swing most gracefully; her more recent work features mostly slower pieces, but her renditions of "Polka Dots and Moonbeams" and "I`m Old Fashioned" prove that she can keep up with a quicker pace just as well as anyone. In fact, her versions of "I Didn`t Know What Time it Was" and "My One and Only Love" (both most commonly covered as ballads) take her vocals to a completely new plateau as her flawless nuances are placed over feverish tempos that cause all of her heartfelt inflections to come and go quicker than usual, therefore uncovering a new sort of heart and soul in her singing. But the ballads are just as pleasing..."Sweet Lorraine" is simply lovely, and "Autumn Nocturne" is beautiful to the point of being mesmerizing. And her midtempo touch on "Shall We Dance" gets things off on the right foot, most assuredly. The only problem with "Blue Skies" is the production and arrangements; she uses a trio for the entire album, save for "Gee Baby Ain`t I Good to You," which features a violin solo. The trio has a nice jazz-club effect, but after about five or six cuts one wouldn`t mind hearing a horn here and there. Still, though not groundbreaking in any sense, "Blue Skies" is a noteworthy release thanks to Cassandra`s fine vocal performances. Fans of Wilson -or of jazz standards in general- won`t be disappointed.