Featured Artist: Yasmine Iliya

Jazz CD cover CD Title: Wish I Knew

Year: 2005

Record Label: Self

Style: Jazz Vocals

Musicians: Yasmine Iliya (vocalist), James Clark (piano), Steve Kaell (bass), Ben Bynum (drums)

Review:

Lay it out under the moonlit skies of Santorini with the scents of the ocean drifting by your exotic experience and the only ambiance worthy for such a setting is a ballad! Jazz ballads have an appeal of that special time and place in ones life where a musical note can resurface numerous memories in a twinkle of a lash. For a vocalist to deliver such ballads with that strength and power is an art form seldom met with success. On the way to accomplishing that feat is Yasmine Iliya who just released Wish I Knew in 2005. Her performance is worthy of discussion and countless spins.

Ms. Iliya’s vocals of sultry expression allow her to offer interesting vocal levels for the listener to grow their jazz understanding. Ms. Iliya’s sense of timing as she switched moods of a tempo in midstream is comparable to the most seasoned artist. Although still in the early stages of her career she shows great range and promise for future performances. Mostly it’s her talent for pulling her soul out from within and attaching it to her voice for an emotional roller coaster ride for the recipient.

Note worthy as well are the musicians allowing this wonderful experience to be welding together to fit each cut separately.

Ms. Iliya’s journey into blues is the tearful poetic exercise in song “I Gotta A Right To Sing The Blues,” a very smooth and sensitive piece. Her heart spills out the message and you soon believe she feels what she vocalizes in this ballad. Ms. Iliya’s pauses are precisely placed in order to accent the mood and it works without fault.

Another special slice of the jewel box is “Peel Me A Grape,” a sensual Frishberg hit which Ms. Iliya just delivers with an abundance of heated sensuality. Her sultry yet teasing tones bring out those memories of midnight maneuvers deep into the night. This cut is what she does best as she sculpt the mood with her delivery of intense passion as if it was her experience at that moment. Nice Job!

Keep this talent close at hand and in your collection. The future could just be very good to her!

Karl Stober is an international freelance columnist and broadcaster who can be reached at jazztrenzz@bellsouth.net. Karl can also be reached at 1-802-380-6065.



Artist's Website: http://yasmineiliya.com

Reviewed by: Karl Stober

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