Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Dana Lauren: It's You or No One

Dana Lauren: It's You or No One

By C. Michael Bailey
January 10, 2011
Sign in to view read count

Track review of "On The Sunny Side of the Street"

Vocalist Dana Lauren has a beautifully balanced alto voice that is pliant and malleable, one well suited for jazz. It's You or No One (Self Produced, 2010) was the singer's well-received debut, a smart collection of standards rendered well by top-notch musicians. Lauren sings inside and outside the box, straight-ahead and sideways with equal intensity and sensitivity. She is also effective in small spaces.

In a minimalist trend that echoes Lawrence Lebo's "less-is-more" approach, Lauren retires her band, bringing in bassist Christian McBride for a duet on the 1930 McHugh/Fields show tune, "On the Sunny Side of the Street." After opening with a tempo-perfect introductory bass vamp, McBride and Lauren both chase the beat—sometimes ahead, sometimes behind, but always swinging. Lauren is confidently playful and coquettish in her phrasing, obviously having fun with this old tune. McBride takes a solo jaunt, proving that all that's needed for a band may be a bass, returning for the duet coda.

"Gold dust at my feet," indeed.

Personnel

Dana Lauren

vocals

Dana Lauren: vocals; Christian McBride: bass.

Album information

Title: It's You or No One | Year Released: 2011 | Record Label: Self Produced

< Previous
Camera

Next >
Charles Fambrough: A Friend Unlike An...

Comments

About Dana Lauren

Instrument: Vocals

Tags

For the Love of Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help

To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.