The names Terri Lyne Carrington, Gerald Clayton, Esperanza Spalding, Robert Glasper, Tia Fuller, Gregory Porter and Sean Jones to name a few, may seem like a line-up for a great jazz concert that you would spend good money for. They are actually the musicians that appear on Dianne Reeves' latest CD called "Beautiful Life" set for a February 11th release.
Dianne is poised and sophisticated looking on her CD cover with her retro look; inside the music run the gamut of jazz, latin beats, 80s-type RnB and even a slight touch of reggae.
It goes without saying that although the list of who's who in jazz are involved, this compilation is far from the music that Dianne has been known for in the last few years of her career. She has revisited her earlier CD which hosted songs like "Better Days" replete with soulful tracks and dare I say this was a clever move since she has that versatility in her voice to pull it off.
Marvin Gaye's "I Want You" is given a sexy and sultry makeover confined in a soulful stride that you are sure to love. It features Dianne's voice comfortably at home within a musical arrangement that features her cousin the late George Duke on keyboards and a smoky sax from Sean Jones.
For anyone who has emerged from a bad situation the track "Feels So Good (Lifted)" would give you continuous hope and confidence. Lyrically potent, Dianne sings "there are things you simply can't control/ it feels so good/ I want to stay lifted/ I want to stay free/ feels so good just be open/ just to be seen in grace and peace.
Stevie Nicks will smile and give a nod of approval for what Dianne has done with her popular hit "Dreams". This kind of song is right up pianist Robert Glasper's alley and he has definitely showed up and showed out with his signature playing style. A song like this will warm up audience on adult contemporary and middle-of-the-road radio formats.
"Satiated (Been Waiting)" shows what a prolific songwriter Terri Lyne Carrington is. Moreso it brings together Dianne with Gregory Porter, two of the more powerful and expressive vocals that I know and they add magic to this moving and velvety smooth ballad.
Dianne's voice is controlled against a light ska rhythm on Bob Marley's "Waiting In Vain"; she even scats and improvise in Jamaican chants closer to the end of the track.
You'll love Dianne's bold attitude and swag on "32 Flavors." The perfect anthem for ladies, Dianne tells it like it is when she sings "squint your eyes and look a bit closer/ I'm not between you and your amibition/ I'm a poster girl with no poster/ and I'm 32 flavors and then some."
Other tracks on the CD include the ballad "Cold" and the impressive and sonorous "Wild Rose" composed by Esperanza Spalding.
The first and only taste of anything jazz comes in the form of the emotionally charged "Stormy Weather."
Dianne's voice dips, swirls and turns with wordless chants on the Latin-infused "Tango" which starts off slowly before launching into an unexpected vibrant and festive hip-swaying interpolation.
Geri Allen is behind the evocative "Unconditional Love (For You)" and the CD closes with the vocally strong and powerful "Long Road Ahead."
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