Jennifer Hartswick is a very talented jazz vocalist and trumpeter who first came to my attention when her rendition of “Lover Man” appeared along with songs by Melody Gardot, Cassandra Wilson, and Madeleine Peyroux on the recent Women of Jazz collection by Putumayo Records. Hartswick’s own album True grandly follows through on the warmth and elegance of my introduction to her music with more slinky torch songs, romantic ballads, and lively jazz tunes aplenty. Much like Pamela Means’ Jazz Project Vol. 1, Hartswick revamps jazz standards here with one original song that fits in seamlessly with the classics.
As the title suggests, “Gentle Rain” is a mellow beginning. The piano has a nice sprawling quality, but the coffeehouse mood of the arrangement fails to enliven Jennifer’s smooth vocals. However, the lovely and more substantial melodies of “With Every Breath I Take” and “Lover Man” prove to be the perfect ensconcements for the richer depths of Jennifer’s voice.
After that, True is full of vigor and beauty. “That’s All” is a peppy jazz number bursting with brass. The sole original on the album, “You Own Me”, is such a sultry croon of seduction I hope Jennifer uses more of her own material in the future. “The Nearness Of You” slides from Hartswick’s beautiful vocal to a gorgeous trumpet solo and back again.
Yet the truly astounding moment of True comes in the form of Jennifer’s haunting a capella intro to “Nature Boy”. The cover is brilliant as it is, but I would love to hear her sing the entire song without accompaniment. Her velvet voice beautifully embraces the wistful tone of the song made famous by Nat King Cole, then rises into an angelic softness on the finale “When I Fall In Love”.
Jennifer Hartswick – You Own Me (mp3 removed) *
*mp3 posted with Jennifer Hartswick’s permission
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Jennifer’s father revealed earlier this month that his daughter was expecting twins but no details about the sex of the babies emerged. Milo Brass
[...] Kent is a jazz singer who – like Jennifer Hartswick – came to my attention when she was featured on Putumayo’s Women In Jazz collection. [...]