This has been an unusual trip. From Senegal, where we celebrated the launch of a new radio affiliate, to Accra, Ghana – where we met with partners and friends, both old and new. There was some downtime, waiting for the car to take me to the airport for the overnight flight to London. Freshly showered and shaved, I sat on the balcony of my room with a cold beer, and listened to the stuttering metronome (and muttered curses) of the two fellows playing tennis down below. And from the laptop inside the room, through those tinny little speakers, Dawn Lambeth took her turn in the rotation.
I closed my eyes, and for few minutes, it was sixty or seventy years ago.
Dawn Lambeth – Let’s Get Lost (Spanish Shawl)
Released: November, 2007
Some discs beg for the big speakers in the big room. Those are the ones with the big bands, the lush strings, the full-throttle singers. Dawn Lambeth and her band are smaller than that. Smaller in size perhaps, but certainly not in quality.
There’s a relaxed simplicity that I find appealing, a swingy style that’s hard to resist. I took a second trip through the tracks, and paid more attention to the backing band. It’s larger than I first thought. The band actually numbers eight members; and while there are a number of notable solo performances (including a whistler), there’s no doubt about who’s up front here.
It’s the girl singer, and she’s doggone good.
These guys do a great job of framing Ms. Lambeth’s classic alto, reminding me of a young Jo Stafford. Close your eyes, and you can almost hear the radio announcer saying, “Now from the ballroom of the elegant Metropole Hotel, the music of…”
Lots of clarinet (from Rob Reitmeier) helps evoke the 30s and 40s, and is what made the tracks jump out for me in the first place. A toast would be appropriate – to Marc Caparone on coronet and bass; his dad, Dave, on trombone. John Smith on saxophone, Clint Baker on guitar and bass. Jeff Hamilton on drums, and John Reynolds on guitar and banjo. He’s also the whistler on Irving Berlin’s “Isn’t This A Lovely Day (To Be Caught In The Rain),” one of my favorites on the disc, along with Frank Loesser’s swingy “I Wish I Were Twins.” Chris Dawson on piano keeps everything moving along nicely, and stands out on several tracks, including the title track, “Let’s Get Lost.”
But it’s Ms. Lambeth’s voice that makes it all work. All this simplicity is tougher than it seems, in that there’s no scooping into the notes, just a crisp forward motion, given Ms. Lambeth’s gifted talent for phrasing. She makes it seem simple, and that’s her great talent.
A whopping eighteen tracks on this disc make it a value in more ways than one. Plenty of classics, such as ”My Blue Heaven,” and “Give Me The Simple Life” are included. But there are also some lesser-known gems, like “I May Be Wrong (But I Think You’re Wonderful),” a 1929 tune from Henry Sullivan and Harry Ruskin.
This disc is filled with very, very good stuff – and is very highly recommended.
Three and one-half stars (out of four) – MySpace Website
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