CD Reviews: Melani L. Skybell “Just A Chase Away”
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Posted by: editoron Saturday, November 17, 2007 - 05:36 PM |
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By: Edward Blanco
A classy Southern bell from Dallas, Texas, pianist and vocalist Melani Skybell crafts a very nice album of beautiful light melodies with a sprinkle of the samba nicely packaged in an eleven track album and 4th release, ”Just A Chase Away.” Skybell plays the piano and provides wonderful vocals on eight originals and three standards.
The music is upbeat, lively yet gentle with musical support from a fine cadre of players that include guitarist Sam Walker, Kyp Green (bass), Roy Snodgrass (drums), Pete Brewer (reeds), Jorge Ginorio (percussion) and Steve Browne (flugelhorn).
A couple of tunes that caught my attention right away are the percussive samba-shaded
“Days Like This,” and “Got You On My Mind,” where the singer teams up with guitarist Walker and Brewer on the flute against the backdrop of a steady percussive beat.
The lady displays her talents on the piano throughout but sparkles on such tracks as “Days Like This,” and “The First Time.” “Dreamflight,” is a slow heartfelt ballad sung to the tune of Walker’s entrancing guitar and Snodgrass on the brushes.
The Johnny Burke/Van Heusen chart, “It Could Happen to You,” is one of the best interpretations of this classic ever recorded. The album concludes with Duke Ellington’s
“I’m Just A Lucky So and So,” and David Yazbeck’s “Nothing Is Too Wonderful To Be True,” a line with which I disagree in describing the music here.
A simply entertaining and magical musical experience that’s “Just A Chase Away,” Melani Skybell sculpts a masterpiece of a recording that is certain to be noticed. You can file this one under “exquisite jazz vocals.”
Year: 2007
Label: Self Published
Artist Web: www.skybell.com
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