High Standards
Vocalist Wesla Whitfield is blessed with a rich, full, bell-tone of a voice that hits each and every note perfectly in tune. On this 60-minute CD of jazz favorites, she uses her remarkable voice and clear enunciation to present the familiar lyrics in a highly accessible and musical manner. Staying true to the melody and expressively singing the words is Whitfield's forte. She seems less concerned with exploiting her pipes (no scatting or vocalistic acrobatics whatsoever) and more intent on just singing the song in an invitingly straightforward way. Her versions of "My Favorite Things" and "Don't Take Your Love from Me" are particularly striking. Special mention should certainly go to veteran sax man Gary Foster, whose fluid, Lee Konitz-like solos help maintain an authentic jazz feel amid the cabaret ambiance Whitfield so comfortably exudes.--Wally Shoup