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Cheryl
Bentyne - Talk Of The Town (Telarc) Including the vinyl that I’ve transferred to CDs, The Manhattan Transfer takes up a good half a linear foot in my music rack. So you could say that I’m predisposed to favor an album by Cheryl Bentyne. Or Janis Siegel, for that matter. But just like my professor in college who taught broadcasting, while I was already working in the business – that only means that this work gets held to a higher standard, because I expect more. Ms. Bentyne’s first solo release (despite what the sticker on this Telarc disc says) was on Columbia/Sony more than ten years ago. Aside from a cut or two, it was a lackluster effort. Unfamiliar stuff (to me), mostly dark and moody. A very dull disc. Okay, that’s the long way around to saying that this disc flat out kicks. A majority of the cuts are standards; the arrangements (by husband Corey Allen – keyboards, too) sparkle, and Ms. Bentyne’s voice floats above it all, sometimes swooping down to tease (“The Very Thought of You”), but just as often soaring (“Love Me or Leave Me”). Chuck Mangione’s flugelhorn solo on “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” is a pleasant surprise, and the rest of the group (Kenny Barron on piano, John Patitucci on bass, Lewis Nash drums, Don Alias percussion, and David “Fathead” Newman on tenor sax) are outstanding. Ms. Bentyne is joined by Mark Kibble and Alvin Chea of Take 6 on the only Transfer-sounding cut on the disc, Bobby Troup’s whimsical “Girl Talk.” It’s great. Nothing fancy here – no tricks, no outrageous show-offs. It’s not Cheryl Bentyne doing a a solo spin with the Manhattan Transfer, which would be a treat in itself. It’s better.
- Doug Boynton |
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Pertinent Stuff: Bio at Manhattan Transfer Fan Club
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