Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane
More than most tribute albums, singer Karrin Allyson's remembrance ofJohn Coltranemakes a genuine attempt to relate to its subject--not only in retracing his 1961 offering,Ballads, song by song and luxuriating in the deep, swelling tenor sounds ofBob BergandJames Carter, but also in giving the tunes plenty of room to breathe. Resisting the temptation to dress them up with overt displays of style, she approaches them in a straightforward, emotionally understated fashion, capturing their essence with taste and intelligence. In the end, Allyson doesn't have quite enough color or depth to sustain such a long set of slow stuff (the album, also featuringSteve Wilsonon soprano sax, concludes with three other ballads associated with Trane, notably his classic "Naima"). This is a singer who needs to breathe as much as sigh. But taken individually or in short doses, songs such as "Say It (Over and Over Again)" and "What's New" impart an exquisite sense of control. Allyson's radiant high notes never fail to move you.--Lloyd Sachs