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Darby Dizard - Down
For You (One Soul)
Released: July 2, 2007
Ms. Dizard has been working the New York circuit for a while, now - and
if you can make it there, well...yeah, it's the major league. Ms. Dizard
has a confident, mature voice. No shrinking violet here, she and the
band command one's attention from the first track - "Speak Low," a
Latin-tinged version of the song originally written for the Broadway
play "One Touch of Venus" by Kurt Weill, lyrics by Ogden Nash.
Yeah, that Ogden Nash. Geez, the stuff you learn doing this.
As I write this, I've already raved about Jane Monheit's turn on the
Bergman/Bergman/Mendes classic "So Many Stars." And Ms. Dizard's version
on this disc is memorable in its own way, because it slows the song down
to a haunting ballad. Shiver-inducing stuff.
High marks for the band - I paid particular attention to Tony Romano on
Guitar (maybe because my son is playing a lot of guitar lately), and to
Patience Higgins fine turn on the nostalgic "The Music Goes Round and
Round," which amusingly morphs from a scratchy old-sounding recording to
the best-swinging track on the disc.
The original "Down For You," written with the band's piano guy, Chris
Cherney, features a nice solo for him - and is stands up alongside the
classics nicely, as does the other semi-original, Ms. Dizard's lyrics
for John Carisi's "Israel."
The backing band is top-notch, in addition to everyone I've mentioned so
far, Cyro Baptista is on percussion, Artie Dixon on drums, and Jim
Cammack plays bass.
Worthy of the big room with the big speakers, these guys are worthy of
any big room anywhere.
This appears to be a re-release; available now at Amazon and iTunes in
its earlier, 2004 incarnation. From the label and the tracks, there
appears to be no difference.
Oh - and bonus points for great cover art. Don't know what it cost, but
it was worth it! It's what gets one noticed.
Highly recommended.
Three microphones (out of four)
- Doug Boynton
(04/28/07) |
