Rating: NNN
Local crooner Emilie-Claire Barlow offers up a kind of jazz that’s most accurately described as “smooth,” which is a positive or negative qualifier depending on where you stand. Her breathy, pitch-perfect voice slides effortlessly over the melodies of standards and original tunes, skilfully accompanied by a half-dozen established Canadian jazz musicians. Much credit is due to Barlow, who arranged and produced the recording herself with impressive results. This is a solid work and a very respectable example of the kind of tasteful jazz you might hear in your parents’ car or an upscale hotel restaurant.
Barlow joins the National Jazz Awards show at the Phoenix Tuesday (June 21).