Sarah Partridge: I Never Thought I’d Be Here

Boston-born singer Sarah Partridge didn't start out a singer. She started out as an actor (you can see her opposite of Tom Cruise in Risky Business (Warner Brothers, 1983)) who took the Karaoke stage one night and got noticed by the right ears and five recordings later the rest is history. Where her previous recording, Perspective (Self Produced, 2010) was an intimate, piano-voice affair of standards, the present I Never Thought I'd Be Here is a full sextet band reading of all Partridge originals.

In this expanded format, Partridge takes the reins a guides her instrumental quintet through a decade of originals characterized by expansive and memorable melodies grounded with impressive arrangement and performance chops. Partridge's composing harkens back to a Broadway base. Her songs have a bigness about them, something goes beyond her support. The presence of Scott Robinson's saxophone and flutes and particularly, Ben Williams tart trombone ("I Just Won't Let you Go" a stand out) tempers Partridge's already steady and subdued voice, making for a very satisfying outing.