Album Review
Joined by the Nate Ginsberg Trio, augmented on some tracks by horns, vocalist Pamela Rose tackles a program of original compositions plus some modern blues pieces. Despite her self assessment that she "is a blues singer who loves jazz," the amount of the blues present depends a lot on the song. "Three-Handed Woman" gets that down-and-dirty treatment with a bit of the torch with Jeff Ervin's salty tenor in the background. Other cuts, such as "No Moon at All," are delivered with a loose and easy exuberance. On "Slippery," Rose shows off her swinging qualifications as she moves sprightly through this tune backed by the clarinet of Kent Cohea. Everyone has a lot fun with the novelty tune "A Chicken Ain't Nothin' but a Bird," with Nate Ginsberg kicking things along with his barrelhouse piano. Then there's some singalong on an upbeat and another fun tune, "Take Me Back," where Rose calls off a laundry list of promises if she can come home. Of the Rose/Ginsberg-composed material, "Say It" stands above the rest with some of the blues inflection promised by the album's title. Here, Rose is joined not only by Ginsberg's trio, but by the horns that help put her singular trademark on this piece. Rose is a talented singer blessed with a unique vocal timbre (a little from both Kay Starr and Dinah Washington, perhaps), excellent diction, and a feel for the music. As this, her inaugural album, demonstrates, she is at home with any type of tune played with any kind of tempo. A singer with panache and flair, this album is recommended.
