Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Joanie Pallatto: My Original Plan
Joanie Pallatto: My Original Plan
ByA second notable departure lies in the fact that My Original Plan is almost bereft of any jazz component. For the most part, the album consists of Pallatto singing (backgrounds as well as lead) while everyone else keeps time. As far as that goes, it is done quite well. What is lacking is any melodic or lyric design that quickens the senses or touches the heart. It's essentially garden-variety pop music, well performed but as a rule unimposing. The album cover reads "Featuring Fareed Haque," but guitarist Haque's primary role is accompanist, not soloist. In fact, there is not more than one solo worth noting, by harmonica virtuoso Howard Levy on the album's last track, "Lucky to Belong to You." Most other solos are brief and nondescript, with the possible exception of Levy again (this time on piano) on "About a Song."
If the album is aimed toward air play, not jazz libraries, it could be mission accomplished, as this is the sort of music one might reasonably expect to hear on radio these days. Basically smooth and mellow, its emphasis on good humor with an occasional heavier sentiment thrown in to season the bill of fare. As for Pallatto, as noted, she is singing as well as ever, and, even more important, as was noted in the review of Words & Music, "doing what she loves best, and doing it quite well. That should be enough to make anyone happy..." As musical happiness lies in the ear of the beholder, let's leave it there for now.
Track Listing
Open Your Eyes; Do Butterflies Cry?; The Blank Page; The Confessional; My Original Plan; Jon's Place; About a Song; Rest; The Photograph; Almost 65; A Simple Time; They Sentenced Us to Paradise; This Winter; Lucky to Belong to You.
Personnel
Joanie Pallatto
vocalsFareed Haque
guitarBradley Parker-Sparrow
pianoHoward Levy
harmonicaBobby Lewis
trumpetJuan Pastor
drumsKurt Schweitz
bass, acousticJohn Devlin
bassLuiz Ewerling
drumsSteve Eisen
fluteBill Nolte
vocalsAlbum information
Title: My Original Plan | Year Released: 2021 | Record Label: Southport Records
< Previous
Lina Allemano, Dennis Gonzalez and Znap
Next >
Uneasy