Shirley Crabbe, "Home": Some Singing Going On!!

Singers. Remember? We cover them here as well as all the other things. There are lots of singers out there in the "jazz" realm. Some aren't quite up to snuff. Others you hear and you KNOW. You know that they are an instrument of the music. I knew that from the very first opening moments of Shirley Crabbe's CD Home (self released). She has it all--the phrasing, the fine tuning of inflection, the delivery of lyrics and that something that takes real artistry--a variability, a variational knack.

Well now here she is with a mid-sized group with some good soloists, even Houston Person on a couple of cuts. She chooses songs that aren't overdone, "Not While I'm Around" from Sweeny Todd, Oscar Brown's "Strong Man," "Detour Ahead," Carol King's "So Far Away." And she obviously does them because Ms. Crabbe has something to contribute to them. And so she does.

Here's a singer to appreciate, doing songs she obviously loves, with a band that's cool. That's enough for me!! Check her out.