A Fine Spring Morning; 'Deed I Do; Picnic; All or Nothing at All; There'll Be Another Spring; Whatever Lola Wants; Get Out of Town; I Like the Sunrise; Relax; Don't Ever Leave Me; Can't Help Singing; Love Look Away. Total time: 47:24
Jody Sandhaus - vocals; Pete Malinverni - piano; Todd Coolman - bass; Leroy Williams- drums
Jody Sandhaus covers 12 standards on this CD. Her singing is strong, clear, with precise delivery, and the whole date is technically flawless, thanks to the backing of a solid Jazz trio and engineering by the legendary Rudy Van Gelder.
Emotionally, I found it mostly satisfying, depending on the mood of the material. Sandhaus has a joyful delivery that perfectly serves the more positive material - especially the up-tempo "Deed I Do" and the gently swinging "Relax" or "Can't Help Singing," but also including the beautiful title track, where, accompanied only by Pete Malinverni's sensitive piano, it's clear she's singing about love from the heart.
I found mixed results from the rest of the album. Certainly "All or Nothing at All" is enjoyable, with the trio stretching out a bit and Sandhaus clearly having a good time on this up-tempo rendition. Her voice is caressing on "There'll Be Another Spring" and expressive on "I Like the Sunrise" and "Don't Ever Leave Me" - they're all enjoyable to listen to. But she's almost too happy (!) for some of the material - I got the sense that she was so in love (with somebody or something) at the time of the recording, that she didn't convince me she was feeling any of the insecurity or reflectiveness of these tunes. This seemed most obvious on "Whatever Lola Wants" and "Get Out of Town," perhaps best suited to someone with more of a blues sensibility.
All in all, a solid album of standards for anyone wanting to hear a beautiful soprano voice with top-notch Jazz trio accompaniment.
by Howard Feldstein