Antonia Bennett – Natural EP

Antonia Bennett – Natural EP
2010, MesaBlueMoonRecordings

Antonia Bennett practically grew up on stage.  The native of Beverly Hills is the daughter of singing legend Tony Bennett and actress Sharon Grant.  Bennett grew up performing with her famous dad, including stints on stage with Count Basie and his orchestra.  Bennett also grew up with advice and praise from such family friends as Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Dean Martin, Gene Kelly, Rosemary Clooney and Les Paul.   Bennett has studied at The Berklee College Of Music and the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, and has performed all over the world.  This fall Bennett released her debut EP, Natural.

Natural opens with “Soon”, a slow reflective number from the Gershwins that shows off Bennett’s sweet voice in fine form.  It’s a light but solid start.  The piano work on this number is exquisite and actually outshines Bennett.  Irving Berlin’s “Puttin’ On The Ritz” is also done in a slow, mellow arrangement that is not the best presentation for the song.  It does, however, allow Bennett to show off her gorgeous vocal tone.  Still this version of the song drags, and Bennett doesn’t bring a presence to carry it.  “The Thrill Is Gone” is in much the same ilk, pretty but bland.  “I Wish I Were In Love Again” is a Rodgers & Hart number (Babes In Arms) popularized by Judy Garland, and finds Bennett picking up the pace a bit in a solid performance.  “I Fall To Pieces” shows some improvement, but you’re left with the impression that Bennett’s heart isn’t really in the jazz material.  Natural closes with “Love Is A Battlefield”, a jazzified take on the Pat Benatar hit.  Bennett comes alive here on the vocal even as the arrangement essentially neuters the energy and edge of the original. 

The thing is that Natural simply isn’t.  There’s an air of pretense to the EP that just doesn’t fly, as if Antonia Bennett is starting with an EP of staid material because that’s what she grew up with.  There’s a higher level of commitment to the one rock tune on the disc even if it is watered down in a non-threatening arrangement.  Bennett has a beautiful voice, but her heart just doesn’t seem to be in it here.  Bennett has already moved on, and is currently working on an album of original pop tunes to be released sometime in 2011.  One might suspect that project will show a lot more life while continuing to feature a voice that truly is worth listening to.

Rating: 2.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Antonia Bennett at www.antoniabennett.com or www.myspace.com/antoniabennett.  Natural is available as a download from Amazon.com and iTunes.

Susie Deane - Time's A Dancer

Susie Deane - Time's A Dancer

2010, Humarock Music

Poughkeepsie, NY-based singer/musician Susie Deane is a diverse talent, performing actively in the diverse genres of traditional jazz, contradance and Celtic.  Deane has a voice that’s warm and expressive.  It’s not the voice of a diva; Deane is a utilitarian singer but she has the ability to sell a song in the Sinatra style.  Susie Deane’s latest effort, Time’s A Dancer, is drawn straight out of the American Songbook and run through the wine press of the Las Vegas stage.  Guest appearances include Peter Davis, Dave Davies, Vinnie Martucci, Harry Aceto and Sam Zucchini.

A collection of standards can’t go wrong starting with Johnny Mercer, and Deane starts out right with “Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive” in a reverent reading consistent with the original.  The musicianship here is first class and Deane sells the song like her life depends on it.  “’Deed I Do” is pure Vegas style with Deane employing a talk/sing style that’s informed and entertaining.  Deane’s best vocals on the album come on “Black Coffee”, a song first made famous by the great Ella Fitzgerald.  There are few who can stand up to Fitzgerald, but Deane’s reading is effective.  “Lazy Afternoon” is vocally solid, but Deane doesn’t show the presence that she has up to this point in the album.  Deane’s rendition is honest and forthright but just doesn’t have the same magical sense to it.   And that’s really the summation for the rest of the album.  What started out with great energy and verve becomes a musically strong but vocally average experience.  Deane offers up signs of life on “Up A Lazy River” and “There’s A Fella Waiting in Poughkeepsie”, but it isn’t until the final track, a medley of “Kimberly”, “Star Of Munster” and “The Mountain Road” that Susie Deane fully revives.

Time’s A Dancer shows both the potential of Susie Deane and the limits realized by that potential.  Musically the album is much more than solid.  The players Deane has surrounded herself with would be worth paying to see any night of the week.  When Susie Deane is on her game there’s no doubt she fits well in that company.  Time’s A Dancer finds Deane occasionally at her best, but generally at a comfortable level that doesn’t call for much of a stretch from either the artist or the listener.  It’s a solid effort.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Susie Deane at http://www.susiedeane.com/, where you can order Time's A Dancer on CD.