Warm conversational jazz vocals Allen Austin-Bishop – NO ONE IS ALONE: In order to really get a “good assessment” of Allen’s laid-back, warm and conversational jazz vocal style, it’s suggested that you watch him first…
…as you saw and heard, Allen’s got the kind of talent and performance skills that will (easily) make him a favorite of jazz vocal fans ’round the globe, especially those who love those “old lounge classics”… be sure and SUBSCRIBE to his YouTube channel, since you’re there already! (you won’t find samples up for this album right now, as it doesn’t release until September, 2018).
His rendition of the classic “Alfie” is strong, and certainly enhanced by the pacing of his players… Alex Maydew (piano), Mao Yamada (bass) & Rob Hervais-Adelman (percussion)… not a bad performance at all. The opener, “Ordinary Fool”, is laid-back & tasty, too.
Of the thirteen songs offered up, it is (definitely) Allen’s performance on Roberta Flack’s “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” that got my vote for personal favorite… again, his players keep the pacing moving “just right” for his vocal.
I give Allen and his players a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, with an “EQ” (energy quotient) rating of 4.96 for this release… you can learn more about him on Allen’s website. Rotcod Zzaj
