CD review, Penelope Sai, Some Kind of Dream by Barry O’Sullivan
Australian vocalist and lyricist Penelope Sai brings a life long love of jazz to her music with her latest offering. After releasing her first solo album “Evening Falls” in Paris in 2009 she moved to Australia with her family and settled in The Blue Mountains where her second album ”Sienna” was recorded. She has now released her third album ,with the same band members, Sean Mackenzie(piano,composition and arrangement),Jonathan Zwartz (bass) Nic Cicere (drums/percussion) and the current leader of The Count Basie Orchestra Scotty Barnhart (Horns).
With this recording she has successfully managed to create an album of mood,romance and nostalgia infusing her diverse repertoire with a range of influences as it traverses refreshing interpretations of the standards -“I’m Glad There Was You”,”Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year”, and ”I Guess I’ll Have To Change My Plans” and wows you with her own striking original compositions, the title track“ Some Kind of Dream” (for which she received a 2015 Jazz Bell Award Nomination ),”Melt Away” and “Adrien’s Imaginings”.
An album stand out is her interpretation of the James Bond theme “Diamonds Are Forever” beginning with a healthy blast of horn from Scotty Barnhart and cruising into an unexpected samba beat.Her instantly recognisable voice with inventive arrangements by Sean MacKenzie make this album a ‘must have’ for lovers of vocal jazz.
