Ralph Peterson 35th Annual Student Music Awards - Downbeat

80 DoWNBEAt JUNE 2012
Kat Edmonson
Way Down Low
SPINNERETTE 1202
★★★★★
Melissa Stylianou
Silent Movie
ANZIC 0036
★★★★1/2
When listening to singers who move in and out
of jazz, pop and the kitchen sink, one question
always lingers: Are we talking standards,
or something else? In the case of singers Kat
Edmonson and Melissa Stylianou, the answer
for each on their new discs is somewhere in
between. On Edmonson’s Way Down Low and
Stylianou’s Silent Movie they tilt towards originals
played in unconventional ways.
In Houston native Edmonson’s case, don’t
let her pixieish, almost child-like singing fool
you: Her vibe is sophisticated and unique. Her
Take To The Sky (2009) featured a more conventional
jazz personnel and mostly covers.
The self-produced Way Down Low is loaded
with varied instrumentation, occasional background
vocals and acute interpretations. The
attention to detail can be mesmerizing, as on her
exquisite, rarified take of Brian Wilson’s “I Just
Wasn’t Made For These Times.” Edmonson’s
voice is on the verge of tears amidst subdued,
shimmering horn charts, piano sprinklings and
a gentle sway in 3/4. This song follows on the
heels of three more spritely or Latin-flavored
confections that suggest love and being in love.
“Lucky,” “I Don’t Know” and “What Else Can
I Do” celebrate, whereas Wilson’s lament finds
Edmonson venturing into more difficult terrain.
“Whispering Grass” finds the singer in the
middle of a breezy meadow of sound, the emotional
currents once again uneven, the song
full of space, a very slow gait and moments
for pianist, bassist and drummer to move in
and out of the song’s seemingly endless open
sky. Edmonson’s voice, too, drops down a bit
to reflect the song’s mysterious gaze. Strings,
celeste and a slithering organ accompany
Edmonson on the sweetly sour waltz “I’m Not
In Love”; while in a playful duet with well-fitted
guest Lyle Lovett, “The Long Way Home”
is a whimsical, swinging ode to love, and, like
everything else here, once again features the
odd instrumental touch. A reprise/redo via a
whispering crawl with “I Don’t Know” could
take your breath away.
Stylianou’s Silent Movie begins with an
incredibly slow take of her own, this time with
the standard “Smile.” She’s close-in, too, her
own version of delicate delivery disarming as
she almost whispers her lines to this famous
tune, accompanied by a sympathetic and supportive
group. While she relies more on the
occasional standard, her takes are so original
you’re inclined to forget who wrote it. James
Taylor’s “Something In The Way She Moves,”
Paul Simon’s “Hearts And Bones,” “The
Folks Who Live On The Hill” and Mancini/
Mercer’s “Moon River” all suggest a familiarity,
a genuine connection, Stylianou’s delivery
at times recalling, among others, Joni Mitchell
when she plays with intervals in a more natural,
less affected way.
It’s too bad we don’t get more of her own
material, the title track a narrative rich with
allusions to heartbreak, the melody so sweet
yet suggesting the pain that can come from intimate
relationships, her voice sounding hopeful
but filled with uncertainty. And her “Hearing
Your Voice” (written with Vince Mendoza)
and “First Impressions” (with Edgar Meyer)
reinforce the impression that original material
suits her. The slow and sad “Today I Sing The
Blues” covers similar territory, but is delivered
with less conviction, suggesting less regret.
—John Ephland
Way Down Low: Lucky; I Don’t Know; What Else Can I Do; I Just
Wasn’t Made For These Times; This Was The One; Champagne;
Whispering Grass; I’m Not In Love; Long Way Home; Nobody
Knows That; Hopelessly Blue; I Don’t Know (Reprise). (55:40)
Personnel: Kat Edmonson, Lyle Lovett (9), vocals; Kevin Lovejoy,
keyboards, organ, whistle; Larry Goldings, organ; Danton Boller,
bass, vibraphone, vocals; Matt Munisteri, Pete Smith, guitar; Frank
LoCrasto, piano, glockenspiel; Matt Rey, piano; Brian Wolfe, Jeremy
Carlstedt, drums; Chris Lovejoy, percussion, bass, vibraphone;
Kathleen Sloan, Ina Veli, Kathleen Sloan, violin; Andrew Duckles,
viola; Timothy Loo, cello; James R. Atkinson, French horn; Bob
McChesney, Martin Sullivan, trombone; John Ellis, bass clarinet.
ordering info: katedmonson.com
Silent Movie: Smile; Something In The Way She Moves; Silent
Movie; Onde Ir; Hearts And Bones; Today, I Sing The Blues; Hearing
Your Voice; I Still Miss Someone; The Folks Who Live On The
Hill; First Impressions; Swansea; Moon River. (54:63)
Personnel: Melissa Stylianou, vocals; Pete McCann, electric and
acoustic guitars; Gary Wang, bass; Rodney Green, drums; Jamie
Reynolds, piano; Anat Cohen, soprano saxophone (2, 5), bass
clarinet (4, 11), clarinet (9); James Shipp, percussion (2, 4, 5, 10,
11); Yoed Nir, cello (4, 10, 11).
ordering info: anzicrecords.com