Andy James

Here is a very strange album, impeccable musically, with renowned artists such as John Beasley, Jon Cowherd, Nate Smith, Chico Pinheiro, Ronnie Foster, John Ellis, and others. Consequently, the arrangements and the music are absolutely sublime. However, Andy James, while she has been a good singer, has never been a performer. Often out of breath and downright unbearable when she tries to convey emotion in a phrase, it doesn’t work, and it clearly feels like a career-ending album, designed to charm her audience and try to stay relevant.

Unless you’re a fan of Andy James, this album is likely to irritate you from the first listen. Personally, I couldn’t get past three tracks, starting with a version of “Take 5” that seems interesting in the musical introduction but falls apart as soon as Andy James enters, and this pattern repeats with every track. There’s an excess of vocal vibrato to mask a voice that isn’t really there anymore, with the third track “Photograph” being a vocal massacre.