New Jersey born jazz chanteuse, Grammy-nominated STACEY KENT is revered by an ever burgeoning and faithful fan base; those fans are beguiled by her seemingly simple and naïve approach to the genre – an approach, however, that masks real emotional depth, heart–tugging melancholy and a sweet soulfulness. Ms Kent’s fans have racked up half a billion Spotify streams of her music and bought in excess of two million albums. And its specifically for those dedicated fans that Stacey has recorded he latest album – ‘Summer Me, Winter Me’.
The eleven tracker is a collection of fan favourites which have never before had studio recordings alongside three original songs including a lovely ‘Postcard Lovers’ – a song co-authored by Nobel Laureate Kazuo Ishiguru. The acclaimed writer is a close friend of Stacey’s husband, saxophonist Jim Tomlinson, and he’s collaborated with the pair many times before – most notably on the song ‘The Summer We Crossed Europe in the Rain’. Like that one, ‘Postcard Lovers’ is a gentle paean to real love delivered with an innocence that is both charming and beguiling.
The album offers plenty more of the same – like a version of ‘Under Paris Skies’ The song was written for the movie ‘Sous le Ciel de Paris’ and originally recorded by Andy Willimas. Here Stacey makes it her own – prolonging her musical infatuation with the romance of European cities and their culture. That theme is extended here via ‘La Vase Des Lilas’ and two versions (English and French) of Jaques Brel’s ‘Ne Me Quitte Pas’. Amongst the other familiar tracks are takes on ‘Happy Talk’ and ‘Corcovado’ – both perfectly suited to Ms Kent’s underplayed approach which is possibly best typified by the album’s title track.
STACEY KENT’S ‘SUMMER ME, WINTER ME’ is out now via Naïve Records.
