REBECCA MARTIN – People Behave Like Ballads (2004) MAXJAZZ Vocal Series | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

For Rebecca Martin, the comparisons to Norah Jones will be inevitable when critical ears listen to "Here the Same but Different" from Martin's People Behave Like Ballads. The song has the same breezy folk-pop appeal of Jones' hit "Don't Know Why" and Martin's delivery of the song is just as relaxed and carefree. But the comparison is somewhat unfair as Martin debuted her jazzy blend of folk-pop in 1999 on Thoroughfare, three years before Jones's breakthrough. She also worked with Jesse Harris (writer of "Don't Know Why") in the group Once Blue prior to his Grammy-winning work with Jones. In reality, people should be comparing Jones to Martin, but all in music is not fair. However, the folks who have already discovered Martin will be eager to spread the news that her third solo disc successfully refines her style and showcases her talent as a songwriter. People Behave Like Ballads is the appropriate title for Martin's collection as she fills the disc with unhurried songs about people dealing with relationships and their own place in the world. In the beautiful "Lead Us," relationship roles are reversed as the stronger of the two recognizes they have "got a handicap" and calls to their partner to "take the reigns," while ghosts from doomed romances begin to haunt a prospective relationship in "I'd Like to Think It's Coming." These personal explorations are often complex but the lightness in which the music is presented makes them seem simpler than they are. Martin's music leans toward folk but is shaded by jazz influences and a '70s singer/songwriter style, much like the mid-career recordings of Joni Mitchell. In fact, the influence of Mitchell can be heard within "East Andover" and "Lonesome Town" as the tracks sound like quality leftovers from Mitchell's Hejira. These two songs along with the barely up-tempo tracks "Old Familiar Song" and "I'm Not Afraid" provide the best block of music on the disc. But with all of the songs kept at a laid-back pace, at 16 tracks the disc is a little lengthy and the final songs lose identity and begin to blend into each other. Nonetheless, People Behave Like Ballads is an excellent step forward and perhaps the people who lifted Norah Jones to success will discover Rebecca Martin and give her the proper exposure she deserves. Aaron Latham 
Tracklist :
1 Lead Us 3:47
Rebecca Martin
2 Here the Same But Different 3:27
Steve Cardenas / Rebecca Martin
3 These Bones Are Yours Alone 3:31
Rebecca Martin
4 If Only 4:24
Rebecca Martin
5 I'd Like to Think It's Coming 4:59
Rebecca Martin
6 It's Only Love 3:18
Rebecca Martin
7 When the Rain Comes 3:30
Rebecca Martin
8 It Won't Be Long 2:40
Richard Julian / Rebecca Martin
9 Learning 3:26
Rebecca Martin
10 East Andover 4:19
Rebecca Martin
11 Old Familiar Song 4:18
Rebecca Martin
12 Lonesome Town 6:04
Rebecca Martin
13 I'm Not Afraid 3:02
Rebecca Martin
14 Gone Like the Season Does 3:14
Rebecca Martin
15 I'm the One 3:47
Rebecca Martin
16 Play for Me 2:51
Rebecca Martin
Credits :
Acoustic Bass – Matt Penman
Drums – Darren Beckett
Electric Guitar – Ben Monder, Steve Cardenas
Piano, Piano [ Fender Rhodes], Organ [Hammond B3], Organ [Wurlitzer], Pedal Steel Guitar, Organ [Pump Organ], Mandolin, Backing Vocals – Peter Rende
Tenor Saxophone – Bill McHenry

REBECCA MARTIN — Middlehope (2001) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Rebecca Martin's Middlehope starts out as a quirky collection of jazz ballads. But about halfway through, the vocalist turns her attention to two pop/rock-oriented songs by Jesse Harris, who happens to be one of Norah Jones' main songwriters. In fact, the second of these two, "One Flight Down," appears on Jones' debut disc, Come Away With Me. Martin and Jones do seem to share a fondness for the contemporary singer/songwriter aesthetic, but Martin is more of a jazzer; her world-weary drawl gives a lift to old tunes like "Bewitched," "The Sweetest Sounds," "Dindi," and Johnny Mercer's "How Do You Say Auf Wiedersehn." Martin's band includes husband/bassist Larry Grenadier, drummer Jorge Rossy, and tenor saxophonist Bill McHenry, but the album's truly defining sound is created by guitarists Kurt Rosenwinkel and Steve Cardenas, a twosome who has graced ensembles led by Paul Motian and Marc Johnson. (They're pretty easy to tell apart; Rosenwinkel takes most of the solos.) Without any other accompaniment, the guitarists frame a particularly vulnerable performance by Martin on the closing "Where Is Love," weaving together shimmering, intersecting lines that obliquely define each unfolding harmony. The band communicates with utmost sensitivity on "A Fine Spring Morning," which is played entirely rubato. And McHenry beautifully shadows the chromatic descending lines of "Midnight Sun" with carefully chosen harmonies. He also sings (who knew?) on "Dindi," doubling the tender melody an octave below Martin. Highly recommended. David R. Adler 
Tracklist :
1 The Sweetest Sounds 5:35
Richard Rodgers 
2 A Fine Spring Morning 3:51
Written-By – B. Haymes
3 The Midnight Sun 6:04
Written-By – J. Mercer, L. Hampton, S. Burke
4 Dindi 5:25
Lyrics By [Portuguese] – A. Oliveira
Written-By – A. C. Jobim
R. Gilbert 
5 How Do You Say Auf Wiedersehen? 4:24
Written-By – T. Scibetta, J. Mercer
6 Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered 5:32
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers 
7 Then a Wall Came Up Inside Me 3:11
Written-By – J. Harris
8 One Flight Down 3:07
Written-By – J. Harris
9 Ridin' High 3:26
Written-By – C. Porter
10 Where Is Love? 3:26
Written-By – L. Bart
Credits :
Acoustic Bass – Larry Grenadier
Classical Guitar [Nylon String], Electric Guitar – Steve Cardenas
Drums – Jorge Rossy
Electric Guitar – Kurt Rosenwinkel
Tenor Saxophone, Vocals – Bill McHenry
Vocals, Producer – Rebecca Martin