Judy Whitmore: Isn't It Romantic

Sometimes it is a pleasure to listen to an album simply because the quality of the music is so consistently gratifying. And if the music is sung as well as Judy Whitmore sings it on Isn't It Romantic, well, that is icing on the cake, as are the superb performances by her supporting cast, especially pianist Tamir Hendelman and saxophonist Rickey Woodard.

The music is taken for the most part from the Great American Songbook, and much of it is performed at a medium to slow tempo, which suits Whitmore's sultry delivery to a T. Her grasp of emotional substance is superior, her timing impeccable, her warm mid-range voice steady and clear as a bell. To affirm that Whitmore brings out the best in every one of these songs would be a completely accurate summation. As to the songs, they include such enduring gems as "It Could Happen to You," "I Remember You," "You Go to My Head," "The Nearness of You," "Speak Low," "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning," "But Beautiful" and of course, "Isn't It Romantic" (including the seldom-heard verse and an ardent solo by Woodard on alto).

Whitmore also sings Peter Nero's "Sunday in New York," Barry Mann/Cynthia Weill's "Just a Little Lovin,'" Ray Charles' "Hallelujah I Love Him So" and (with guest vocalist Peisha McPhee) Buddy DeSylva/Lew Brown/Ray Henderson's "The Birth of the Blues." For comparison's sake, Whitmore edges close to Frank Sinatra's definitive reading of "The Wee Small Hours," which is the highest praise a listener can bestow. Elsewhere, she holds her own against better-known versions of every tune, mostly by being unpretentious and letting the music speak for itself.

While Hendelman and Woodard are the most prominent soloists, there are engaging statements along the way by flutist Lori Bell, trumpeter Mike Rocha, bassist Alex Frank, and guitarists Mitchell Long and Larry Koonse. The rhythm section (Hendelman, Frank, drummer Dean Koba) is bright and attentive. And even though it is Whitmore's voice that carries the day, there is far more to her than mere vocal chords. Aside from a solid career as a jazz and cabaret performer and recording artist, Whitmore—who is named for Judy Garland, a friend of her grandfather's at MGM Studios—is a best-selling novelist, a theatre producer, a therapist with a master's degree in clinical psychology, and a licensed commercial jet pilot who also rides horses and cans peaches.

Where does she find the time? That must remain Whitmore's secret. Listeners should be grateful that she found time to record Isn't It Romantic, as it is easily endorsed as one of the year's most impressive vocal albums.