ABC LIMELIGHT MAGAZINE REVIEW
Ingrid James & John Reeves
Circumflex
Newmarket Music NEW3262.2
3 ½ stars
Few jazz singers attempt nor succeed recording with solely piano accompaniment but James’s areabile tone and precise pitch hits the mark with a mixture of classics, jazz standards and contemporary tunes, given unfamiliar treatment in both tempo and accented phrasing; ‘Yesterdays’ finale recalls Betty Carter’s sublime bent about notes; ‘Just one of those Things’ rapid tempo is a lesson in agility and breath control while ‘Devil May Care’ is one of the finest I’ve heard. Weaker material like Eric Clapton’s ‘Strange Brew’ and Brian Wilson’s ‘God Only Knows’ receive undue credibility and thoughtful backing with tasty filling from UK pianist John Reeves.
Peter Wockner (for ABC Limeline Magazine June 2009)