René Marie - How Can I Keep From Singing? (2000)

"How Can I Keep From Singing?" asks the title of Rene Marie's new album. But after a childhood of performing in Warrenton and Roanoke, Va., she didn't sing in public during 20 years of marriage and child-raising. It was only in 1994, at age 38, that she took the stage again, first under her married name of Rene Croan in Roanoke and more recently as Rene Marie in Richmond. The long years of practicing at home, far from the conformist pressures of the music industry, allowed her to develop a distinctive style of her own. As her new album demonstrates, that style features eclectic song choices (three originals, a country oldie, a new-age ballad, a Nina Simone protest song and a folk spiritual as well as familiar standards associated with Dinah Washington and Billie Holiday), a crisp focus on the lyrics, the flexibility to handle rhythms other than swing and a down-to-earth delivery that turns every song into a kitchen-table conversation. She is backed by an all-star band that features pianist Mulgrew Miller, saxophonist Sam Newsome and two members of Cassandra Wilson's band (guitarist Marvin Sewell and percussionist Jeffrey Haynes). Marie's voice is a key part of that band on tunes such as Mongo Santamaria's "Afro Blue," where she pushes along the Cuban rhythm and extends the harmonies with her scatting. Even better are the ballads, like the original "Hurry Sundown," where she sounds disarmingly casual without sacrificing a bit of musicality. ~ by Geoffrey Himes, washingtonpost.com. 

MAXJAZZ, MXJ 109, 2000
Recorded 13th-14th January, 2000 at Sound On Sound, New York 

Musicians:
René Marie - Vocals, Arranger
Sam Newsome - Soprano Saxophone (#7,12)
Mulgrew Miller - Piano (#1,2,5-11) Fender Rhodes (#3,4)
Marvin Sewell - Guitar (#2-4,11,12)
Ugonna Okegwo - Bass
Gerald Cleaver - Drums (#1-11)
Jeff Haynes - Percussion (#3,7,11,12) 

Tracks:
01. What A Difference A Day Makes {Stanley Adams, María Mendez Grever} (3:42)
02. Tennessee Waltz {Pee Wee King, Redd Stewart} (6:44)
03. Motherless Child {Traditional} (1:29)
04. Four Women {Nina Simone} (6:10)
05. The Very Thought Of You {Ray Noble} (5:00)
06. I Like You {René Marie} (4:04)
07. Afro Blue {Oscar Brown, Jr., Mongo Santamaría} (6:45)
08. A Sleepin' Bee {Harold Arlen, Truman Capote} (6:22)
09. Hurry Sundown {René Marie} (6:03)
10. God Bless The Child {Billie Holiday, Arthur Herzog, Jr.} (5:07)
11. Take My Breath Away {Bab Hallahan, René Marie} (5:24)
12. How Can I Keep From Singing? {Enya, Nicky Ryan} (5:42) 

Total Time: 62:32 

Credits:
Producer, Arranger - Bruce Barth
Engineer - David Baker
Assistant Engineer - Zach Wind
Mastering - Katsuhiko Naito
Photography - Jimmy Katz
Liner Notes - Mary Ellen Sullivan 

How Can I Keep From Singing?

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