Carmen Lundy - This is Carmen Lundy

This is Carmen Lundy

By  Carmen Lundy

Very Good Condition  (Signed on cover "To Jack with love, Carmen")

Carmen Lundy has that rare combination of qualities found in great jazz singers: imagination, a superb sense of swing phrasing and improvisation, a broad vocal range with powerful lungs, and a sure grasp of jazz tradition. This Is ... features not only Lundy's voice, but also her songwriting, another of her talents. While her lyrics are not always as clever as her music, with its challenging turnarounds and charged interplay, Lundy's baring of her life experiences makes This Is ... a record you can sink your ears into. Her band, including brother Curtis Lundy on bass, drummer Ralph Peterson, pianist Anthony Wonsey, and saxophonists Mark Shim and Bobby Watson, can sometimes sound tentative and they are ill-supported by a diaphanous mix. But Carmen and her songs are the stars. Several tunes ("This Is the End of a Love Affair," "Now That He's Gone," "Send Me Somebody to Love") sound like standards, so winsome are their melodies and arrangements. Best of all, Lundy sounds like she is having a ball, even when the band misses a cue. This Is Carmen Lundy is a solid album, a promising foretaste of things to come. Heaven is 'round the corner for this multithreat talent. --Ken Micallef

A Review:

Carmen Lundy is one of the finest jazz singers of our time. One listen to this CD and you will discover the various moods and shadings inside her vocals.

Carmen's vocal encircles perfectly on All Day, All Night. This song swings with a wondrous arrangement that is upbeat and rich with brass. Carmen's vocal timing is perfect on This Is The End Of The Love Affair. There are earthy depths to explore in Carmen's Now That He's Gone. A most unique vocal arrangement, Better Luck Next Time will blow the top of your head off. It's hot! Send Me Somebody has a slinky, easy feel. For over 10 minutes, In Living Color is the kind of song that builds into a fantastic pleasure. The lyrics are brilliant. Carmen is loose and running freely on this vocal. Is It Love is a velvety ballad. Nothing can compare to One More River To Cross. This is a masterpiece. Seventh Heaven is a wonderful tribute song that builds and burns up the tracks. The musical arrangements are sophisticated, mature and stylized due to Carmen's arrangments and her brother Curtis' productions.