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Non-Prog CD Reviews

Polly Gibbons

Many Faces of Love

Review by Gary Hill

I really like the brand of jazz on display here. There is a decent range within the scope of jazz, too. Yet, it’s all delivered with class, charm and consistency. A bonus DVD here includes a short introductory documentary and a number of live videos of song from the album. It’s a good touch, but the album itself is the real meat of this.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2015  Volume 2 at lulu.com/strangesound.

Track by Track Review
Please Send Me Someone to Love

This is a great jazz tune. The violin adds a lot. The vocals are just about the perfect type for this kind of traditional arrangement. I like the piano solo a lot, too.

Love Me Like a Song
This one is more of a guitar oriented smooth jazz number. It’s every bit as effective and entertaining as the opener was, though.
So Good
The violin drives a lot of this number. It’s a passionate jazz tune that has quite a bit of rock and blues in the mix.
Make It Last
A mellower jazz ballad, the arrangement on this one is classic. It’s such a sweet tune.
That's Enough for Me
There is some particularly tasty melodic guitar soloing built into this.
Not Like This
Extremely mellow, this has a lot of classical music in the mix. It’s a slow ballad. The vocals bring a lot of passion to it, though.
City Lights
Although still purely jazz, this is a bluesy rocker in a lot of ways. I love the duet of guitar and violin on the extended instrumental section. This is actually one of my favorites of the set.
After Hours
A traditional jazz ballad, this is slow moving and quite pretty. The vocals really steal the show.
Since I Fell for You
I love this bluesy jam. In fact, it’s probably my favorite cut here. It’s just packed with cool and charm.
Company
This is a pretty song. The only real issue here is that the tempo is in the slow department. That wouldn’t be an issue, except for the fact that all these slow songs are lumped together late in the set. They’d work better with something more uptempo to split it up.
I Have the Feeling I've Been Here Before
And, here’s another slow, pretty ballad. Again, the set would be better served by changing the tempo a bit.
Love Comes and Goes
Although this does suffer a bit from the lack of tempo change, it’s still one of the strongest pieces here. The mellow fusion sounds on this one are just great.

 

 
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