HUONG THANH & NGUYÊN LÊ — Fragile Beauty (2007) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

For sheer melodic and timbral beauty, there are few languages that can match Vietnamese -- like most tonal languages, it sounds like it's being sung even when it's being spoken, and the effect is like a series of delicate, tuned gongs being struck quickly in sequence. The language's inherent lyricism brings an added layer of complexity and beauty to the traditional and dramatic Vietnamese song repertoire, and on this album vocalist Huong Thanh adds yet another layer to those song traditions by teaming up with guitarist, producer, and arranger Nguyên Lê. Lê's arrangements are varied in tone and texture, but almost all are both strange and wonderful, and his guitar solos are exquisite. On "Weaving & Awaiting" there's a gorgeous moment at the end of his solo when Thanh's vocals come back in, but multi-tracked in close harmony; "Plantation Song" flows gently in a jazzy style; "The Swallows' Bridge" features lovely counterpoint between a Japanese koto and a fretless electric bass, over which dances a cool and complex horn chart. Perhaps the album's most beautiful track is the final one, "Tales of the Mountain," on which funky beats bump up against a gentle arrangement, tastefully restrained guitar, and Thanh's otherworldly voice. It's one of the most softly impressive songs on an album that is full of both sweet melodic beauty and subtly dense complexity. Very highly recommended. Rick Anderson  

"Behind Thanh's warm-hearted voice, guitarist Lê lays down subtle grooves that ingeniously bring together musicians and instruments from all over the world." - STEREOPLAY ACT
Tracklist :
1    Drifting On The Water    3:48
2    Weaving & Awaiting    5:58
3    Faithfulness    3:39
4    Plantation Song    4:22
5    The Five Calls Of The Night    5:03
6    Fragile Beauty    5:12
7    Rowing The Sampan    3:17
8    The Pavillon Of Crystallized Azure    4:54
9    At Dusk, From The West Balcony    4:18
10    Go Cong Blues    3:57
11    The Swallow's Bridge    6:23
12    Tales Of The Mountain    7:18
Credits:
Acoustic Bass [Pizzicato, Arco 5-string] – Renaud Garcia-Fons
Backing Vocals – Nguyên Van-Hong
Balafon [Trung] – Illya Amar
Bass [Fretless] – Etienne Mbappé
Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Synthesizer, Computer – Nguyên Lê
Koto – Mieko Miyazaki
Percussion – Alex Tran, Francis Lassus
Piano – Dominique Borker
Recorded By, Mixed By, Producer – Nguyên Lê
Soprano Saxophone, Flute [Flutes] – Stéphane Guillaume
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Paolo Fresu
Vocals – Huong Thanh
Zither [Đàn Bầu], Zither [16-strings Dàn Tranh], Flute [Sao, Meo Bamboo Flutes] – Hao Nhiên Pham

HUONG THANH — Dragonfly (2001) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Huong Thanh
Born in Vietnam, the internationally recognised singer is known for her fusion of traditional Vietnamese music with jazz and world music. She grew up in a musical family and later moved to Paris, where she collaborated with renowned guitarist Nguyên Lê to combine modern soundscapes with Vietnamese folk songs. Her albums such as ‘Dragonfly’ and ‘Fragile Beauty’ have been acclaimed worldwide and demonstrate her ability to transcend cultural boundaries. Houng Thanh has performed at numerous international festivals and is known for her emotional voice and her ability to interpret traditional music in an innovative way. She is recognised as one of the most important Vietnamese artists in the field of world music. ACT
Tracklist :
1    Ten Reasons For Loving You 7:14
Flute [Pi Thiu] – Dinh Cong Tuyên
Flute [Sao] – Hao Nhiên
Fretless Bass – Etienne Mbappé
Guitar, Synthesizer, Samples – Nguyên Lê
Shaker, Tabla – François Verly
Zither, Lute – Duong Tam
2    Bakida 4:43
Bass [Pizz], Arco Bass [5-string Acoustic] – Renaud Garcia-Fons
Guitar – Nguyên Lê
Zither [Đàn Bầu] – Duong Tam
3    Dragonfly 4:09
Cajón – Tino Di Geraldo
Guitar [Electroacoustic] – Nguyên Lê
Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Fretless Bass, Shaker, Bongos, Darbouka – Richard Bona
Zither – Duong Tam
Zither, Chimes – François Verly
4    What The Bird Says 5:42
Bass – Etienne Mbappé
Bells, Chimes – François Verly
Fiddle – Duong Tam
Frame Drum – Tino Di Geraldo
Guitar, Synthesizer, Samples – Nguyên Lê
5    Two Sisters 5:04
Cello – Sophie Lechelle
Ensemble – The Barbès Deluxe Strings
Fretless Bass – Etienne Mbappé
Lute, Fiddle – Duong Tam
Lute, Zither – Hao Nhiên
Percussion – François Verly
Synthesizer, Samples – Nguyên Lê
Trumpet – Paolo Fresu
Viola – Martin Rodriguez
Violin – Raphaëlle Pacault
6    The Betel Tray 5:25
Bass [Pizz], Arco Bass [5-string Acoustic ] – Renaud Garcia-Fons
Bells, Gong, Singing Bowls [Tibet Bowls] – François Verly
Guitar, Mandolin, Synthesizer – Nguyên Lê
Zither [Đàn Bầu] – Duong Tam
7    Graceful Bamboo 6:59
Bass – Etienne Mbappé
Frame Drum – Tino Di Geraldo
Guitar, Synthesizer, Samples – Nguyên Lê
Lute – Hao Nhiên
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Paolo Fresu
8    Crossing The Valley 5:16
Backing Vocals – Richard Bona
Bass – Etienne Mbappé
Flute [Sao], Zither, Other [Cliquettes & Sapèques] – Hao Nhiên
Guitar, Synthesizer, Samples – Nguyên Lê
Zither [Solo] – Duong Tam
9    Drums In The Night 6:20
Bells – François Verly
Guitar, Synthesizer, Samples – Nguyên Lê
Lute, Guitar [Cai Luong], Percussion [Song Lan Woodblock], Zither [Đàn Bầu] – Duong Tam
10    Scent Of My Childhood 4:28
Cello – Sophie Lechelle
Ensemble – The Barbès Deluxe Strings
Guitar [Nylon] – Nguyên Lê
Piano – Dominique Borker
Viola – Martin Rodriguez
Violin – Raphaëlle Pacault

IDA SAND — Meet Me Around Midnight (2007) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

29-year-old singer and pianist Ida Sand didn't feel rushed to start a solo career: Born into a musical family -- her father was an opera singer, her mother a church musician -- she studied music in Stockholm and then worked with a large number of Swedish musicians, honing her skills. One of these musicians was Nils Landgren, who gave Sand ample opportunity to show her talent on the latest release of his Funk Unit, Licence to Funk, and now that she has finally recorded an album under her own name, Landgren is on board as a producer and also guests on a number of songs. Meet Me Around Midnight is a vocal jazz album deeply influenced by blues and soul, and Sand's experience as a musician shows: she has an earthy, expressive voice, but she never feels the need to push it into the spotlight -- where other young singers make every song a showcase for their undeniably impressive technique, Sand is refreshingly relaxed and focuses on the songs, not on herself. Most of the tracks are covers, and they have been selected from a wide range of sources: Sand performs two Stevie Wonder songs ("Feeding Off the Love of the Land" and "Higher Ground"), the Eurythmics composition "Here Comes the Rain Again," Nancy Sinatra's "Bang Bang," a Lightnin' Hopkins song ("Baby Don't You Tear My Clothes") and the old Arlen-Mercer song "One for My Baby" (made famous in versions by Frank Sinatra and Etta James). She finds a fresh arrangement for most of these, some more acoustic-based, with piano, bass, drums, and vocals as the main ingredients, and others more electric, giving them a bluesy touch with guitar and electric piano. Sand's own composition "Brutal Truth" is one of the album's highlights, a funky R&B song with a soulful groove, and her beautiful piano ballad "Home" quietly ends the album. Not every song on Meet Me Around Midnight is a standout, but even the less exciting arrangements ("At Last") are performed skillfully enough to make the album work as a whole. Sand is a promising new talent on the music scene, and with her subtle feel for dynamics, Meet Me Around Midnight shows more sophistication than you'd expect from a debut album. It's simply a good listen all the way through. Christian Genzel

"Ida Sand sings with power and feeling – the best female soul voice in a long time!"- (JAZZPODIUM) ACT
Tracklist :
1    Mr Pianoman    3:38
2    Bang Bang    2:47
3    Brutal Truth    3:59
4    Every Little Bit Hurts    4:06
5    Here Comes The Rain Again    4:05
6    One For My Baby    3:50
7    Feeding Off The Love Of The Land    5:16
8    Higher Ground    4:36
9    At Last    5:05
10    Baby Don't You Tear My Clothes    2:53
11    Maybe You'll Be There    4:13
12    Use Me    3:17
13    Home    4:08
Credits:
Acoustic Guitar – Ulf Wakenius
Bass – Lars Danielsson, Ove Andersson (tracks: 12)
Cello – Lars Danielsson (tracks: 12)
Drums – Michael Edlund (tracks: 7, 10, 12), Rasmus Kihlberg
Electric Guitar – Henrik Jansson, Ola Gustafsson (tracks: 7, 10, 12)
Grand Piano – Jan Lundgren (tracks: 1, 5)
Trombone, Vocals – Nils Landgren
Vocals, Grand Piano, Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes], Arranged By – Ida Sand

RIGMOR GUSTAFSSON — Alone With You (2007) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

"This fresh sound has never been so pleasing to Swedish ears before." - STEREOPLAY ACT

Not every singer who is relevant to vocal jazz is a rigid purist who completely rejects the influence of R&B, pop, and folk. There are some jazz-friendly singers who stray outside of jazz, which is what Swedish singer/songwriter Rigmor Gustafsson often does on Alone with You. Parts of this CD offer straight-ahead post-bop, while other parts are more pop-minded and/or R&B-ish and draw on influences ranging from Joni Mitchell and Laura Nyro to Stevie Wonder. And the good news is that whether Alone with You veers in a post-bop direction or more of a pop/R&B direction, this is one of Gustafsson's more consistent albums. Some of Gustafsson's releases have a reputation for being uneven, but this 2007 recording does a better job of staying on track creatively -- and that may have to do with the fact that it is a very hands-on project for her. Every melody on Alone with You was composed by Gustafsson herself, ranging from the straight-ahead post-bop of "On Higher Ground" to the jazzy pop/R&B of "Special Effects" and "Voodoo Skills" to the folkish moves of "Medan du Väntar" (which is the only Swedish-language offering on an album that is performed primary in English). Gustafsson didn't write all of the lyrics; five of the 13 tracks use the talents of other lyricists, including Swedish jazz singer Lina Nyberg on "Special Effects." But Gustafsson wrote most of the lyrics, and she definitely wrote all of the melodies on a solid effort that isn't recommended to jazz purists but is among the more memorable discs in her catalog. Alex Henderson  
Tracklist :
1. In My World - 04:15
(Rigmor Gustafsson)
2. Voodoo Skills - 04:31
(Rigmor Gustafsson / Lina Nyberg)
3. Still - 04:24
(Rigmor Gustafsson)
4. Special Effects - 02:56
(Rigmor Gustafsson)
5. Joy To Me - 03:36
(Rigmor Gustafsson / Sofia Pettersson)
6. You Don't Have To Worry - 03:54
(Rigmor Gustafsson)
7. Will Our Love Be There - 05:01
(Rigmor Gustafsson)
8. Nothing's Better Than Love - 05:25
(Rigmor Gustafsson)
9. Medan Du Väntar - 03:33
(Rigmor Gustafsson / David Shutrick)
10. Don't Do It Here - 03:09
(Rigmor Gustafsson)
11. It's All There - 04:32
(Rigmor Gustafsson / Rigmor Gustafsson, Sofia Pettersson)
12. On Higher Ground - 06:06
(Rigmor Gustafsson / Dave Castle)
13. Alone With You - 04:33
(Rigmor Gustafsson)

Personnel:

Rigmor Gustafsson – Vocals

Jonas Östholm – Piano, Organ

Max Schultz – Guitar

Lars Danielsson – Acoustic Bass

Eric Harland – Drums, Percussion 

CÆCILIE NORBY — Silent Ways (2013) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

A powerful, exciting, convincing melange is created by Danish singer Caecilie Norby, who charges her favourite songs with jazz and classical music on her second ACT album "Silent Ways". ACT
Tracklist :
1    Stepping Stone    3:29
2    Winter Lady    3:50
3    In My Secret Life    3:22
4    Papa Was A Rolling Stone    4:37
5    Diamonds And Gold    3:53
6    Like A Rolling Stone    3:53
7    Hurt    4:51
8    Hearts And Bones    5:09
9    Silent Ways    3:31
10    Have You Ever Seen The Rain    4:03
11    Black Hole Sun    5:08
12    Hymnen    4:16
Credits :
Cæcilie Norby - Vocals
Lars Danielsson - Cello, Bass, Acoustic Guitars, Tambourine
Leszek Możdżer - Piano
Nguyên Lê - Electric Guitars, Electronics
Robert Mehmet Ikiz - Drums & Percussion
Marius Neset - Guest, Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone