Left Coast Life
While vocalist Kitty Margolis is often compared to jazz greats like Sarah Vaughn and Ella Fitzgerald, a more apt and contemporary comparison would be toCassandra Wilson. Not that the two singers have much in common stylistically--Margolis's vocal delivery is much more energetic than the sultry and laid-back Wilson--but the two share in common a willingness to broaden their palette beyond the traditional reaches of the jazz singer. While the San Francisco native brings inspired touches to jazz and cabaret standards such as Frank Loesser's "Spring Will Be a Little Late This Year" and Cy Coleman's "The Best Is Yet to Come," the more impressive moments come on tracks not normally found in a jazz singer's songbook, like an atmospheric reading of Pink Floyd's "Money" and a barreling version of Randy Newman's "Lonely at the Top" that wouldn't have sounded out of place in a Barbary Coast bordello. Such willingness to follow her own muse is what makesLeft Coast Life, Margolis's fourth recording, such an enjoyable and refreshing jazz vocal album.--Ezra Gale