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Tianna Hall: Hit Me with a Hot Note
ByHouston is home to an impressive collection of excellent musicians, several of whom Hall assembles here. Eschewing piano as harmony instrument, Hall taps the superb guitarist Paul Douglas Chester whose grace and musical charm knows no equal. Trumpeter Dennis Dotson and saxophonist Warren Sneed carefully season these sacred jazz pieces as they are held still by the rhythm section of Chester, bassist David Craig and drummer Sebastian Whittaker.
"Angel Eyes," "Bill Bailey," and "Cry Me a River" set the pace for this compelling look at the Great American Songbook at ground level. The title song employs everyone in a strolling, blues-inflected piece of excellent writing. Hall's voice is at once sexy and familiar, like the girl next door you finally noticed. Sneed and Dotson provide note-perfect solos that whisk Hall and company right along to a near perfect performance.
A Cole Porter expert, Hall rips a brisk-paced, Latin "Love for Sale" featuring Chester's best single-string and chordal soloing, illustrating that a singer need only a rhythm section to make things great happen. She rips through an up- tempo "The Man I Love" sliding home into a lowdown "Rock Me Baby" where Hall gets her socks dirty while Chester plays a crisp Texas blues for a masters' class in how-to-do-it. Hall and company have produced a recording every bit as intoxicating as the closer, "You Go to My Head." Warm island breezes and a kicker in a julep or two...
Track Listing
Angel Eyes; Bill Bailey; Cry Me A River; Do Nothing ‘til You Hear From Me; Exactly Like You; Goody Goody; Hit Me With a Hot Note; Is You Is or Is You Ain’t My Baby; Just One of Those Things; Love For Sale; rock Me Baby; The Man I love; Too Marvelous for Words; You Go to My Head.
Personnel
Tianna Hall
vocalsTianna Hall: vocals; Paul Chester: guitar; David Craig: upright bass; Sebastian Whittaker: snare drum/brushes, Dennis Dotson: trumpet; Warren Sneed: saxophone.
Album information
Title: Hit Me with a Hot Note | Year Released: 2015 | Record Label: Self Produced
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