New Englander Julie Hardy uses her voice as a multi-hued instrument while harmonizing with the soloists and poignantly singing verse on this endearing septet endeavor. It is a jazz date, embellished by Hardy’s angelic voice, airy scat and wistful dreamscapes aided by the dual sax attack of Jaleel Shaw and Sam Sadigursky. And thankfully, the preponderance of this outing features the vocalist’s compositions amid a few standards. So it’s not all about rehashing the tried and true here. More importantly, Hardy casts a musical aura that intimates a true fusion of the vocals and instrumental component as this facet becomes easily discernible early-on.
On “We Kiss In A Shadow,” the saxophonists weave and dance around the perimeter of Hardy’s vocalizations, where she alternates her delivery with feathery scat stylizations over the top. Drummer and record label founder Kendrick Scott provides superfine accompaniment as he conveys his acumen for dynamics and impeccable timekeeping throughout. In other regions of this disc, the leader executes windswept ballads and a bustling spin on the classic, “All Or Nothing At All.” Hardy sings about the difficulties of love and other topics, while imparting a strong compositional pen during the preponderance of this irrefutably appealing studio set.
JazzReview.com
