[[Release Detail]]

Vocalist Stacey Kent may or may not be the greatest ballad singer in half a century, as her PR claims, but her straightforward renditions of these by-request ballads are not at all generic. What makes them consistently delightful is her unique sound and delivery. Theres a certain brassiness, a trumpet-like pointedness, in her voice, as well as a host of endearing idiosyncrasies. Kent knows how to make every tune fit her own musical persona.. Dreamsville includes a number of seldom-heard gems, particularly You Are There by Johnny Mandel and Dave Frishberg, Youre Looking at Me by Bobby Troup, and the ever-stunning title track by Henry Mancini. She also presents perennial favorites like Polka Dots and Moonbeams and Thanks for the Memory (the latter not exactly a ballad). And although this is Kents hour all the way, her band provides expert backing and more than a few surprises.

The singers husband, Jim Tomlinson, takes a break from tenor sax to play a sumptuous clarinet solo on Polka Dots. And in the midst of Rodgers & Harts Little Girl Blue, pianist David Newton, bassist Simon Thorpe, and drummer Jasper Kviberg fall away, entering again only after Tomlinson and Colin Oxley perform a hushed tenor/guitar duet chorus.

[[Release Description]]

Vocalist Stacey Kent may or may not be the greatest ballad singer in half a century, as her PR claims, but her straightforward renditions of these by-request ballads are not at all generic. What makes them consistently delightful is her unique sound and delivery. Theres a certain brassiness, a trumpet-like pointedness, in her voice, as well as a host of endearing idiosyncrasies. Kent knows how to make every tune fit her own musical persona.. Dreamsville includes a number of seldom-heard gems, particularly You Are There by Johnny Mandel and Dave Frishberg, Youre Looking at Me by Bobby Troup, and the ever-stunning title track by Henry Mancini. She also presents perennial favorites like Polka Dots and Moonbeams and Thanks for the Memory (the latter not exactly a ballad). And although this is Kents hour all the way, her band provides expert backing and more than a few surprises.

The singers husband, Jim Tomlinson, takes a break from tenor sax to play a sumptuous clarinet solo on Polka Dots. And in the midst of Rodgers & Harts Little Girl Blue, pianist David Newton, bassist Simon Thorpe, and drummer Jasper Kviberg fall away, entering again only after Tomlinson and Colin Oxley perform a hushed tenor/guitar duet chorus.

Produced by: Jim Tomlinson
Recorded at: Curtis Schwartz Studios, Ardingly, England 19th to 21st June 2000
Re-mastering by: Ray Staff

PPAN CJS9775 -Artist-Stacey Kent

• Internal ID: JIT
• Format: Vinyl
• Format Detail: LP Black
• Handling Note: **Please allow an additional 5 business days for this item’s shipment.**
• Genre: Jazz
• Released: 7/14/16