Jennifer Roberts: I'll Be Around

Jennifer Roberts' release with Tedd Firth, I'll Be Around, is a collection of 15 songs united by the most enduring musical subject, love. Drawn from standards and contemporary classics, these songs have been interpreted by generations of vocalists and instrumentalists. They do not require rescuing or reinvention. They need someone to discover what the words mean and what the music can reveal through their interpretations.

Roberts approaches the material as both a singer and a storyteller. The question is not simply whether a melody is delivered beautifully, but whether the singer understands the circumstances behind it. The lyric must feel like something communicated to another person, not merely to an audience. Firth's role is equally important, as the piano is not there only to provide harmonic support or fill the space between the vocal lines. It becomes a conversational partner, sustaining interest through touch, timing, and the subtle give-and-take that makes intimate music feel alive.

The opener is Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "Alfie," which demands more of a singer than its deceptively gentle melody suggests. Roberts remains undeterred. She builds the lyrics patiently, letting the questions emerge naturally. Firth's piano provides the harmonic tension beneath the melody without making the arrangement overly dramatic. George and Ira Gershwin's "Nice Work If You Can Get It" opens with Roberts offering the rarely heard verse before launching into the song, which is full of wit and sophistication. At a moderate up-tempo pace, she makes the song swing without forcing it. Firth's light touch and rhythmic punctuation bring the harmonies to life.

Roberts gives the title track, "I'll Be Around," a jazz standard by Alec Wilder, a sensitive, restrained reading that suits the album's character. Its appeal lies in the ambiguity of the song's promise, which the lyrics' delivery can interpret. Bill Evans's "Waltz for Debby," with lyrics by Gene Lees, holds a special place in the jazz repertoire. Roberts' approach is that the waltz should feel neither rigid nor overly sentimental, but rather like a memory gently revisited. Firth's piano acknowledges Evans' distinctive harmonic language without letting the accompaniment overwhelm the song's delicacy.

"I Remember You," by Victor Schertzinger and Johnny Mercer, is one of those standards whose apparent lightness conceals deeper emotional complexity. Roberts brings out the intimacy of recollection, while Firth's piano maintains the song's elegant flow and adds harmonic color to its reflective passages.

"Save the Best for Last" is an appropriately titled closer built around romantic surprise and the idea that happiness can arrive when least expected. Roberts' interpretation emphasizes the lyrics' sense of wonder, while Firth shapes the accompaniment to support shifting emotional emphasis.

Ultimately, the album asks us to listen rather than be impressed, and when the songs find their niche, intimacy becomes the main attraction.