Sue McCreeth - Queer Bird (2016)

Liner notes by Dave Gelly: The merest glance at the titles and composers of these twelve songs should tell you that Sue McCreeth is not your average jazz singer: pieces by popular songwriters (Ray Noble and Noel Coward), jazz composers (Stan Tracey and Alison Rayner), European composers of the early 20th century (Frederick Delius and Ralph Vaughan Williams) – and, of course, by Sue herself. And the remarkable thing about it is that, when she sings them, they all seem to belong together. She sings in a warm, intimate voice and a deceptively simple style. Simple it may be, but it's far from artless. Just listen to the almost uncomfortably low key she chooses for The Sky Above The Roof, depicting the musings of a prisoner about the world outside. Contrast that with the tone of sophisticated ennui she brings to Coward's Twentieth Century Blues. The spare but perfectly judged accompaniment of guitar (Pat McCarthy) and bass (Andrew Cleyndert), plus splashes of brilliant tonal colour from the trumpet of Martin Shaw, completes the picture. You'll find a lot more to admire as you listen.

TRACKLIST

1. Mad About The Boy (5:02)
2. The Touch Of Your Lips (4:12)
3. Nuages (4:12)
4. Queer Bird (3:21)
5. The Sky Above The Roof (3:41)
6. Even If Now (4:49)
7. Twentieth Century Blues (4:41)
8. Other Times We Fly (5:11)
9. I Hadn't Anyone 'til You (3:50)
10. Ettu Enna (4:02)
11. Milk Wood Sky (4:35)
12. The Very Thought Of You (4:40)