Nerissa Campbell, vocals; Grant Windsor, piano and korg; Matthew Willis, double bass; Daniel Susnjar, drums
Nerissa Campbell produced this CD and wrote the ten songs. It was recorded and originally released in her native country of Australia. Campbell is now making her home in New York where she is performs regularly.
The opening cut "Wishful Thinking" features Campbell doing an a cappela in a wistful mood. "Once Again" is a samba collaboration with the band adding rhythmic colors to Campbell's lush vocals. The title cut "Paint Me Orange" has an intriguing melody and pianist Windsor's wonderful solo is exploratory while Campbell's vocals are beguilingly dreamy. "City Boy" is a bebop romp and displays a nice control of scatting by Campbell with stylish swinging by the band. "Bedazzled" is a winner which effectively highlights Campbell's phrasing and control on this vibrant tune.
The backup trio of musicians displays tight teamwork sensitively supporting the vocals. In turn, Campbell gives them plenty of space to build upon the structure of each tune. On this debut effort, Campbell demonstrates an innovative vocal approach to lyrics. She shows great insight as a composer and her risk-taking as a vocalist is admirable and quite appealing.
by Dorothy L. Hill