René Marie - Vertigo (2001)

Rene Marie's second CD for MaxJazz is, for the most part, a very enjoyable CD. This extremely gifted singer has a very appealing voice and is a talented arranger as well. Her playful arrangement of "Them There Eyes," with bassist Robert Hurst and drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts, is very refreshing, with some fine scat singing, too. Her unusually deliberate and rather sexy take of "The Surrey With the Fringe on Top" adds pianist Mulgrew Miller and also has some fine scat singing, too. Her Latin chart for "I Only Have Eyes for You" proves catchy, with some tasty guitar playing from John Hart. "It's All Right With Me" is slowed to a snail's pace with Chris Potter's noodling bass clarinet and Hurst's brooding bass backing her powerful vocal. "Vertigo," another Marie original, is easily the most exciting piece on the session. The only occasion when she follows anything resembling an expected path is her lush treatment of the ballad "Detour Ahead" in a memorable duet with Miller. There are some weak spots. The original "Don't Look at Me Like That" is monotonous filler; while the Beatles' "Blackbird" is drastically rewritten with a tedious vamp that gives the song a somewhat ominous sound, but it grows tiresome quickly. The medley of "Dixie" (a song reviled by most African-Americans) and "Strange Fruit" (with its dramatic description of lynching) invites controversy. She sings "Dixie" a cappella with a possible touch of sarcasm, then the band is added for the shift into the piece that was first put on the map by Billie Holiday, introduced with almost a funeral march-like cadence. Somehow Rene Marie's lovely voice seems inappropriate for this song, as she doesn't reflect the anguish of its lyrics very consistently. Even with these reservations, this is a highly recommended CD. ~ by Ken Dryden, AMG. 

MaxJazz, MXJ 411, 2001
Recorded 22nd & 23rd February, 2001 at Avatar Studios, New York 

Musicians:
René Marie - Vocals, Arranger
Jeremy Pelt - Trumpet (#4,10)
Chris Potter - Bass Clarinet (#6), Tenor Saxophone (#7,9)
Mulgrew Miller - Piano (#2,3,7-10)
John Hart - Guitar (#4,5)
Robert Hurst - Bass (#1-7,9-11)
Jeff "Tain" Watts - Drums (#1-4,7,9-11)
Jeffrey Haynes - Percussion (#4,5,7,11) 

Tracks:
01. Them There Eyes {Doris Tauber, Maceo Pinkard, William Tracey} (5:18)
02. Surrey With The Fringe On Top {Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers} (6:25)
03. I'd Rather Talk About You {René Marie} (4:54)
04. Don't Look At Me Like That {René Marie} (5:15)
05. I Only Have Eyes for You {Al Dubin, Harry Warren} (6:38)
06. It's All Right With Me {Cole Porter} (4:01)
07. Vertigo {René Marie} (7:57)
08. Detour Ahead {Herb Ellis, John Frigo, Lou Carter} (5:32)
09. Moonray {Arthur Quenzer, Artie Shaw, Nat Madison} (7:34)
10. Dixie/Strange Fruit (7:00)
11. Blackbird {John Lennon, Paul McCartney} (6:22) 

Total Time: 66:56 

Credits:
Producer - Bruce Barth, Arranger
Executive Producer - MAXJAZZ
Engineer, Mixing & Mastering - Katsuhiko Naito
Mastering - Katsuhiko Naito
Photography - Jimmy & Dena Katz
Liner Notes - Mary Ellen Sullivan