My Romance
In that he's a young male jazz vocalist, Kevin Mahogany is a rare bird. But even among that group, Kennedy is rarer still. As much a child of Motown as bebop, Mahogany slows things way down on his newest,My Romance. Vocal gymnastics, command of scat's history, and general chops are hardly the point with Mahogany, as he creates romantic moods aplenty. Bob James plays piano with just the right mix of wandering and staying close to the melody's heart. Meanwhile, Mahogany's lush, low-end vocals rebound between James's piano, Billy Kilson's drums, and Charles Fambrough's bass. Vocal lines develop in slow motion with a deliberate ease. Mahogany sounds as much at times like Marvin Gaye as Barry White. Then, in the upper ranges, he comes off like a velvety Herb Jeffries. A tag-team duo of saxophonists handles the horn duties on several tracks, with Michael Brecker taking on the tenor parts and Kirk Whalum providing exceptional alto.--Andrew Bartlett