07 Aug Smooth Jazz Daily Review
Since 2001 in the music scene jazz singer Carol Duboc started With All That I Am. In 2002 followed sophomore album Duboc, then All Of You (2005), Songs for Lovers (2008), The Burt Bacharach Songbook (2009) and in 2013 Smile.
Now she is back with Colored Glasses (2015) and the crew of accompanying musicians is nearly the same as on her previous album. Jeff Lorber (keyboards, bass & guitar), Vinnie Colaiuta (drums), Brian Bromberg (acoustic bass), Jimmy Haslip (electric bass), Hubert Laws (flute), Michael Thompson (guitars), Lonny Castro (percussion), Paul Jackson Jr. (guitar), Eric Marienthal (sax), Dave Mann (horns) and many more are listed.
The album is a reunion between Carol and Jeff Lorber, who co-wrote and co-produced the complete album with her. The first track is Hypnotic, a soulful hymn about an ideal lover. Produced in the typical Duboc high quality manner.
Some of you will remember the movie by Roger Vadim “And God created Woman”. Every Shade Of Blue is the musical interpretation of this eternal theme featuring Carol Duboc and a fulminate horn section. Celestial Skies takes the listener on lilting waves. Wavelength is a brisk partygoer in the style of Kool and the Gang. Exciting is especially the strong horn support arranged by Dave Mann.
Love ballads are a further forte of singer Duboc. Breathing, inspired by the birth of her daughter, is a great piece of romance. Trajectory is the path followed by a projectile flying or an object moving under the action of given forces. Love although has sometimes the character of a curve and that is Carol’s theme.
The excellent instrumentation should not detract from the fact that Carol does great things as a singer. For example phrasing and choir effect on Spinning are outstanding. On Colored Glasses she processes own experiences. The handwriting of Lorber is here unmistakable.
Admittedly goes much in the repertoire, such as Walking in My Sleep, into mellow Pop. If the influence of Lorber however is more pronounced like on Code Red, one can speak about vocal contemporary jazz.
By selecting her accompanists Carol Duboc is pursuing a comprehensible intention. The classification as a jazz singer is beneficial and justified with such a top-class crew. So Colored Glasses stands out from the mass of releases.
