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"Uniquely Standard; Akua Allrich live!", ... was appropriately recorded at two Washington,
D.C. clubs Bohemian Caverns and THEARC. It is here that she honed her variegated style and
was given free reign to pursue the experimentation that has resulted in her signature
mixture of traditional jazz, African rhythms, and modern stylization. This vivacious diversity
is embodied in tracks like Nina Simones My Baby Just Cares for Me and Sinnerman,
propulsive versions of Jol'Inkomo and Afro Blue, and the slyly sensuous original Wishful
Thinking.
Ultimately, however, what "Uniquely Standard; Akua Allrich live!" captures is the sheer joy
and honesty that Allrich brings to the stage. Certainly, Allrich is a dedicated show person
and a self-proclaimed ham. She knows what she is doing on stage and how to draw an
audience into the palm of her hand. But what always bursts forth in her singing and
interactions with her talented band-mates is the true love of music that drew her back to
performing three years ago and continues to drive her to ever-new expressive territories.
That joy permeates her latest release and buoys its effervescent character."
Franz A. Matzner
Writer and Jazz Columnist
