Regina Belle - Lazy Afternoon
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Free Music Notes for Lazy Afternoon
Free Music Review: Provocative and evocative. Brilliant.
Hit: 5 Stars
One of the most versatile and artistically daring singers and musicians to emerge in recent decades, Regina Belle has always kept her admirers on their toes, never giving them a hint of what to expect next.
"Lazy Afternoon" is no different in that respect: it's full of surprises, both in its luxuriant, floral arrangements and production and its singular conceptual focus on songs that ask why so much in our world has gone just plain wrong, when it would be so simple to flip it over and make it all right.
To get her point across, Belle has chosen a number of Broadway songs and jazz classics taking on the uneasy task to re-invent them and make them sound totally new and absolutely gorgeous.
Regina also contributed material, and in choosing pianist /keyboardist maestro Gorge Duke, one of the country's most visionary record-makers of the day, to produce, she ensured that her ideas would be taken to fruition with a maximum of creative juices flowing on all sides.
Duke and Belle work closely together to complement the singer's alternately graceful and robust, ever sensual, remarkably flexible jazz-like phrasing with equally bright, sonically rich accompaniments. Bringing in a number of different arrangements and a roomful of extraordinairy guests ), Regina has succeeded in making a poignant statement without resorting to proselytizing.
With hits such as "Baby, Come to Me" and "Make It Like It Was" from Stay with Me and "If I Could" from Passion, Regina Belle has always been categorized as an R&B singer, though one never needed to dig too deep to discover the jazz inflections and influences in her music (check this To Grover, With Love out) .
Still, it's taken nearly two decades for her to release what the singer calls her first "in-your-face" jazz record.
"I always wanted to do a jazz record, but the thing for me was making sure I hooked up with the right people," says Belle about her latest offering.
"I have a special feeling for jazz, and I don't want to disrespect anybody because it requires a different type of study, a different type of focus.
"At the same time, I wanted to make sure that what I was doing was Regina Belle, not Ella Fitzgerald or Nancy Wilson as much as I love them. I needed to make sure that what I did had my signature on it.
Although she's performed such jazz songs as "You'll Have to Swing It (Mr. Paganini)" and "If I Should Lose You" in concert, whenever the Grammy winner broached the topic of making a jazz album, record label officials had a hard time believing.
"They wanted an R&B vocalist, and I could do that, so I did that", she says. "It's a rare occasion when you get an opportunity to do what you want to do".
That opportunity came when Belle, 40somehing now, signed to Peak Records, which also released her Grammy-nominated R&B album, This Is Regina in 2001.
Still, with Belle's versatile, supple voice, Andi Howard, president of the contemporary jazz label, encouraged her to finally make a jazz CD.
"We said, 'Let's do something different, let's do something that shows a side of you maybe your concert-going audience has seen, but maybe your record-buying audience has not heard," Howard says. "At a time when everybody is talking about doing these standards records and jazz records, this is perfect for her".
"Lazy Afternoon" is an album of standards, but unlike similar collections by such diverse artists as Diana Krall, Rod Stewart, Barry Manilow, Bette Midler or Carly Simon, Belle doesn't hesitate to radically reinterpret American classics -- such as turning Frank Sinatra's finger-snapping "Fly Me to the Moon," into an elegant ballad.
"I needed to put on a new dress on these songs, some 'Regina-bling,' and that made the difference," says Belle, who lives in suburban Atlanta.
"Trying to sing these songs the same old way they've been sung over the past 50 years wasn't going to work for me, and getting to do my own renditions of songs I've loved for so many years was a real honor."
For "Moanin'", which has been recorded by such artists as Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Ray Charles, and Lambert, Hendricks & Ross (Jon Hendricks wrote the words for Bobby Timmons's original composition), Belle recorded the song as gospel-tinged blues.
"That's the way I used to do it in college with these guys I used to work with," she says. "We did it in a gospel way, and for this I really wanted to do something different."
Helping Belle was an array of noted jazz musicians, including bassist Christian McBride, guitarist Ray Fuller, Everette Harp, Lenny Castro and the Perri Sisters.
"George is just a gifted individual," Belle says, who adds that Duke was her first choice to produce. "He's underrated. There's so much he's done, so much he's accomplished, and George made this album so easy for me."
Secure with the talents surrounding her, Belle even felt comfortable performing "Try a Little Tenderness", a song closely associated with Otis Redding.
The late soul great made the tune his own when he performed a staggering version at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, and it remains one of his signature songs.
Still, Regina was not reticent in giving it her own spin.
"You can't keep his version out of your head," Belle says. "My challenge was making sure I gave the song some justice without going in there and trying to do an Otis Redding.
"I needed to be the best Regina I could be, and hopefully make him smile down on me."
Regina is at the forefront of a new generation of jazz singers. With one of the most distinctive voices in music, the singer - and now also songwriter, check it out on the latest Paul Taylor's Ladies' Choice - pushes the boundaries of conventional jazz performers and expands the jazz repertory creating modern jazz standards.
"Lazy Afternoon" is ultimately, in purely musical terms, a hopeful, sunny, simply wonderful record.
Free Music Review: Sublime.
Hit: 5 Stars
I've had this recording for 2-3 weeks now, and I can't seem to get enough of it. On first listening, from the first few notes breathed from Regina Belle's voice, I knew I was in for something magical.
Even though Regina's sound is recognizable immediately, no one should mistake that statement as characterizing her as standing still musically - her art is continuously evolving and growing. Since the issue of her first albums , I've been following the creativity of her music, and I've never been disappointed.
Regina's music expecting it to be limited to R&B - that would be a big mistake. When asked if her music should be called 'Soul', Regina wisely says `Time spent trying to define the music is time taken away from playing it. I always simply say, "I sing"....
At the peak of her maturity and her most subdued, as its title indicates, the CD sees the singer in full-on ballad mode, tenderly wrapping her burnished pipes around a cherry-picked collection of standards that range from achingly sad to romantically moody.
How good is she?
She manages to put her stamp on songs as well covered as the title tune, which has already been done by the likes of Barbra Streisand, Sarah Vaughn, Patti Austin...
This is a perfect album that will delight both afficionados of the American Songbook and those who just want music to sigh to...
Does the music touch you or not? This is what matters.
I've always felt that the mark of a master vocalist is the impression left with the listener that the voice is an extension of the performer's very soul - a window to their inner being, through which everything that makes them the person they are can be "seen" in the form of music.
This recording delivers on that rare level - and it soars even higher on repeated listenings.
It's a treasure in the fullest sense of the word.
It could be accused of being almost too sophisticated and tasteful at times, and you can certainly see all those people looking for dinner party music rushing to buy it. Yet that shouldn't detract from the fact that Regina Belle is a wonderful singer and this collection of songs is her best yet.
"If I Shoul Lose You" and ""Why Do Peple Fall In Love" perfectly capture the originals' heartbreaking poignancy quite beautifully.
Although maybe 'cover version' isn't really the right word - Ms. Belle is really a reinterpreter of songs, putting her own spin on most of the numbers here and often making them her own. They're split between standards that most people will recognise and some rather more obscure material.
It won't change your mood, or alter your emotional state, but when it's listened to in a certain frame of mind it soars. I listened to it first on a Sunday afternoon, with a cup of iced tea : it's that kind of music, a warm, slowly engulfing hug of an album that puts Regina's glowing vocals at the forefront.
Ignored by mainstream press and radio, LAZY AFTERNOON is the latest example of an artist - and an album - bypassing the traditional publicity routes and finding success by word of mouth on the internet.
Free Music Review: The sultry jazz stylings of the the incomparable Ms. Regina Belle
Hit: 5 Stars
American vocalist supreme Regina Belle is plenty more than the easy-listening artist it's easy to typecast her as, though this album - mixing originals and classics - may be one of the first ones of hers to prove it beyond doubt.
Her engaging,wonderful tones are complemented by George Duke's piano sound and deft contributions from soloists including saxman Everette Harp, percussionist Lenny Castro, bassist Christian McBride, just to name a few.
The tracks are short and the solos are brief but the restrained instrumentation gives Regina's voice plenty of space to charm.
Passionate and emotional it may be, but there's no theatrical wailing and gnashing of teeth here.
Regina Belle has the knack of sounding natural and even offhand when she sings - as if she's talking with a friend.
Regina Belle is elegance personified, putting her sultry stamp on the most popular jazz standards. In fact, she's a rather elegant time-machine, turning back the clock to a time, warmer than this, when music was still for dancing; proverbially, cheek-to-cheek. When all's said and done, she's a torch singer; and, in this respect, and many others, few can hold a candle to her. Her music is the stuff of which memories are made.
On her self-penned "There's A Love", she shows how powerful a word, a whisper can be.
Her liquid gold voice takes on a dark edginess, and on Nina Simone's "If I Should Lose You", a heartbreaking interpretation with piano by Duke and Regina's voice only. A masterpiece of a song, worth alone the price of the album.
It's clear that these songs have been chosen for their lyrics.
The one-time pop goddess has taken a leaf out of Diana Krall's book with this new CD.
The emphasis is firmly on love songs and Regina' lived-in voice is ideal for such jazz ballads as the Gershwins' "The Man I Love" and the splendid Tony Bennett's "Why Do People Fall In Love".
Listen to it, please!
Free Music Review: This is a monster line-up CD !! Regina loves company !!!!
Hit: 5 Stars
This year has proved a CLASSIC year for lovers of quality music. Here comes an essential album that defies musical pigeonholing; knows no boundaries or lines of demarcation. Regina delighted us with some fantastic albums years ago and now she returns with a vengeance with "Lazy Afternoon", which is what I will call an interpretation album.
These are not simple cover songs. That is the domain for the less able artist, and plenty spring to mind. Regina Belle is much above the arch-mediocrity of proliferating acceptable middle-class orientated "jazz" artists that are seeping their way into the charts with their "cover sets".
As far as I am concerned Regina excels herself with this album of timeless American classics. The album cannot be described as anything less than sheer luxury, sumptousness and exuberance, and overflows with the lady's gospel/jazz/r&b roots, her ever-expansive talent and her boundless energy and enthusiasm. The tempo is down, the mood firmly in the traditions of Soul, Jazz, Groove idiom ( with a hint of Bossa Nova..).
Also she is extremely comfortable with jazz and you can easily sample her gorgeous jazz phrasing on the sax master Paul Taylor's latest Ladies' Choice.
The multi-talented George Duke (keyboardist/pianist/arranger/producer) joins Regina, and we fondly remember them from the fantastic track "JUST THE TWO OF US" (with Steve Cole on sax) from the gorgeous tribute album To Grover, With Love, produced by Jason Miles.
The Perri Sisters, Everette Harp, Lenny Castro, David Parks, Ray Fuller, Gordon Campbell, Alex Al, Oscar Brashear and Christian McBride join in the fun, too. And yes, I do mean fun!
On this album one can clearly hear that all the musicians involved are masters of their craft, in the studio making the music they want to make and are getting their thrills from doing it. The sheer elegance and smoothness of production is palpable and together they work as one to re-craft, remould, tear apart and gently reassemble some of the most well known songs in America's standard songbook.
The opening song will have you hooked; the gentle, lazy, sexy "Lazy Afternoon" and velvet-rich vocals turning this into a song that I may as well never heard before. Sheer quality. The piano and the guitar make this an essential summer song by anyone's standards. This pattern is repeated and each song is a considered, expertly performed track in its own right.
Many conventional readings of such standards as "Fly Me To The Moon" and the Gershwins' "The Man I Love" have given me a lifetime of cold ambivalence to songs which actually contain exquisitely beautiful lyrics. Regina proves its not what you have, it's what you do with it. I think these great songwriters, those past masters that I had once grimaced at, would be very proud of these interpretations. The melodies are pure Regina Belle, the lyrics often precise and cleverly juxtaposed with the bubbling, passionate nature of George Duke's productions yet the perfect match is made and we here we have one of the essential albums for 2005!
"Lazy Afternoon" is perfect for that lazy afternoon (like the one I wish I was having!), "Why Do People Fall In Love" and "For The Love Of You" are Regina-penned gems. George Duke, the Perris and Regina have crafted an indispensable album that will delight established fans, lovers of standard songs, those of a romantic nature and, if justice be done, SHOULD be known to the wider, mass record buying public.
Next time,I'd like to hear Regina making some jazz covers of songs by the unforgettable,legendary LOST VOICE of SOUL : TIMI YURO.
Summer is here. So, in the meantime,enjoy a 'Lazy Afternoon' with Regina!
Free Music Review: Perhaps today's one of the most engaging and consistent stylists.
Hit: 5 Stars
Regina Belle burst onto scene in 1987 after audaciously giving the Soul/R&B world a renovation so funky, passionate and soulful that hit the charts with All by Myself.
The subsequent album Stay with Me, with its fusion of Anita Baker-inspired licks and contemporary Soul vibes was a musical cocktail that defined the industry standards for best Rhythm and Blues vocals.Eventually it was even nominated for a Grammy award.
"LAZY AFTERNOON" is certainly a radio-friendly and a jazzy treat for her legions of fans.
With sultry vocals and lush accompaniments and arrangements by the one and only George Duke,tracks like
"Why Do People Fall In Love", "If I Ruled The World", "The Man I Love", "If I Should Lose You" allow her to squeeze the maximum amount of jazz juice from the ripe fruit of her artistry.
"Try A Little Tenderness" and "Moanin'" deliver a far more funky sound with some more gorgeous, sexy beats over which Regina pulls an endless series of hook-laden rabbits from her vocalese top hat.
She has had her fair share of success but I think that she wanted to make a record that would stand the test of time with the general public.
It appears that she has succeded,indeed.
This album is a summer soundtrack of such seductive power that Soul/Smooth Jazz lovers will be playing it on lazy...afternoons....
Warning : this album will not cure cancer,solve the Third World debt crisis, convince to face the global warming or unlock the mysteries of the universe..It will not make you more attractive to the opposite (or same !!) sex..It will not defeat STAR WARS....It will not help you pass your exams, make your cup of tea, stop your next door's dog digging up your garden or explain the enduring popularity of Celine Dion or Mariah Carey...
Though given the huge debate (is she still good? where has she been? have you seen her in concert? in tv ? why did she sign with an indie label ? why has Oprah, Regina long-standig admirer, never invited her to her TV talk show...) generated around its release,you could be forgiven for supposing otherwise.
So, if you are feeling tired of the usual stuff that is around,set adrift on JAZZ bliss with this sensuous,beautiful collection of down tempo magic and moody, jazz grooves.
She'll give you the perfect treat for.....ROMANCING !