Refueled. That’s how I feel after a couple of days in Boise, Idaho, pursuing that other passion of mine. Really – no one got hurt, we were only writing about murder.
A few hours inside crowded jets, missed connections and all (Denver has a really nice airport with free Internet, if you know where to look – upstairs), and the chance to sip some cold local brew while looking out at the foothills north of Boise…oh, my. It beats two days at work any time, even on days when I like my day job.
Besides, when I wasn’t learning how to kill someone without a trace, or how it really doesn’t work like you see it on “CSI,” I was plugged into the ‘pod, on cruise control, with the brain switched off, and the ears switched on.
Listening to some good stuff. Because I think my ears got recharged, too.
Allison Adams Tucker – Come With Me (Allegato)
Release Date: June 15, 2008
San Diego’s Allison Adams Tucker came to my attention one day while trolling through jazz singers at MySpace. I wrote about it then. She found what I wrote, and we’ve exchanged an e-mail or two. In the note that accompanied this disc, she describes her music as an “eclectic global mix…spanning generations, cultures, languages and rhythms…”
I would think so. Ms. Tucker sings in six languages besides English, and swings nicely in nearly all of them. (I didn’t hear Latin on this offering.) Her voice is a crisp, versatile soprano that never gets lost in the mix. The backing band frames her fine voice well – and includes Peter Sprague on guitar, Kamau Kenyatta on piano, Derek Cannon on trumpet – and Reiko Obata on Japanese koto harp!
I found the disc, and Ms. Tucker’s voice, to be mesmerizing, whether in English, Japanese, French…well, you get the idea.
“La Vie En Rose” was one of the MySpace samples I liked best, earlier. It’s here, and is still one of the highlights. The track that leads this disc, “I’ve Got The World On A String,” is a favorite, as well. The lone original on the disc, “You Got Me,” stands up nicely against the classics, and doesn’t seem a bit out of place.
Do a Google search or two, and you’ll discover that Ms. Tucker is a hard-working musician in the San Diego area. It’s not hard to see why. This is material of the highest order, and while San Diego should be happy to have talent of this quality, she (and the band) deserve bigger audiences.
Besides – you haven’t heard “Somewhere Beyond The Sea” until you’ve heard it in Japanese.
At least, I think it’s Japanese. Hey, just go. MySpace, iTunes, Amazon, CD Baby – heck, do enough Googling, and you’ll even find a free track or two to take out for a test drive. But you’ll want the whole album. Because this is very, very good stuff.
Keep an eye out for this one, and anything else that comes along with her name on it.
This disc is very highly Recommended.
Three and one-half stars (out of four) MySpace – Website
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