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Lyambiko - Love...And Then
(Sony Classical)
Released: February, 2006
I got hooked on German Jazz - to be specific, the particular German take
on Brazilian Jazz - on a series of trips to Berlin in 2004 and 2005. That
led me to a couple of clubs with bad music, a couple with very good music,
and a fistful of discs to bring home.
One was by a young woman named Lyambiko, and so was the album. German
mother, Tanzanian father, fabulous voice. I was smitten. The backing band
is composed of three musicians: Marque Lowenthal (piano and keys), Robin
Draganic (bass), and Torsten Zwingenberger (drums and small percussion).
Lilting - great range - and hypnotic in a way that takes Astrud Gilberto a
step further.
"Lyambiko" - the singer, the album, and the band - became part of my daily
commute for a good couple of months. That original disc I bought, by the
way, remains highly recommended.
That's why I was looking forward to this spring's new release -
"Love...And Then."
The band is still very good, and a couple of the cuts - notably "Blue
Moon," and "Never Let Me Go" are very, very good. And the haunting,
melancholy take on "Somewhere Over Rainbow" induces shivers.
But Lyambiko - the singer - doesn't sound like she's part of the band on
this outing. She's front and center, overpowering them. And her
heavily-accented English drags out vowel sounds to the point that it's no
longer enchanting, simply annoying.
I'll keep an eye out for the next disc. But it won't be an automatic
purchase.
Lyambiko: Love...And Then - 
Two microphones (out of four)
- Doug Boynton
(08/02/06) |
