A vocalist of many vocals, Kate McGarry can change her tone and timbre at
will, dictated by what the song requires. Compare the tight coquettish
trill of "Show Me" with the alto elastic sexuality of "Gypsy in My
Soul." Then compare that with the sleek, deep purr or "Moon and
Sand." Ms. McGarry is quite handy at setting a mood with her tonal bag
of tricks.
"The Thrill is Gone" is a Peggy Lee-Anita O’Day vamp
sliding over Steve Cardenas’ guitar and Karen Hammack’s strolling piano.
Perhaps the best song on the disc is "East of the Sun, West of
the Moon." McGarry sings this over Scott Colley’s capable bass and
Kenny Wolleson’s post bop drumming. She scats like a dream with out
caricature.
Show Me is a serious debut and should be considered as such by
listeners. Ms. McGarry’s carefully crafted approach and dense
professionalism offers a very welcome change from a great deal of jazz vocal
outings heard this year. I hope to hear much more from her in
the future.
For more information, see
Palmetto Records and
Kate McGarry.
~ C. Michael Bailey
