Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Melissa Stylianou: Sliding Down

Melissa Stylianou: Sliding Down

By Jim Santella
January 13, 2007
View read count

Through her program of standards and originals, jazz vocalist Melissa Stylianou interprets with an emotional fervor. She swings, she's hip, and she delivers a unique performance. Stylianou works in both lyrical presentation and thrilling wordless vocals. Musically, she carries a velvety upper register that floats gently on the breeze. But it's not her voice that stands out as the deciding factor on this recommended album; it's her accompaniment. While the album's focus remains clearly on the singer, her surrounding band members lift her performance considerably.

Stylianou is a communicator. She sings with us instead of to us. Her voice serves as an instrument that weaves the other band members together; she's a team player. This is most evident on her original "Three Little Girls, where her voice interacts with bass, mandolin, guitar and percussion to tell an exotic story. Together, they create an adventure that enthralls. Kevin Breit, Alan Hetherington, Artie Roth and Kim Ratcliffe, in particular, have given the session a hearty texture.

Later, she adds a lovely wordless vocal on "Lohengrin that interacts with cello seamlessly. While Stylianou's voice fits well in this context, everything turns out fine and mellow. The memorable portions of her program come not from the singer, but from her action-packed band.

Track Listing

Them There Eyes; Mary

Personnel

Melissa Stylianou

vocals

Melissa Stylianou: vocals; Kim Ratcliffe, Rob Piltch: guitar; Kevin Breit: mandolin, guitar; Artie Roth, Jon Maharaj: bass; Ted Warren, Davide Direnzo: drums; Alan Hetherington: drums, percussion; Kevin Fox: cello; Jamie Reynolds: piano.

Album information

Title: Sliding Down | Year Released: 2007 | Record Label: Self Produced

About Melissa Stylianou

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Instant Composers Pool Orchestra: A ...
< Previous

Bassful Accusations: Adam Linson and...
Next >

Become a Sustaining Member

Since 1995, All About Jazz has championed jazz as an art form and supported the musicians who create it. Over three decades, it has grown into one of the world's leading jazz resources, serving hundreds of thousands of readers, musicians, presenters and industry professionals each month.

Help Build the Future of All About Jazz

Your support helps us continue building All About Jazz for the next generation—expanding our editorial coverage, preserving jazz history, developing new community features and creating better ways to discover the music and the people behind it.

Become a sustaining member for as little as $20 per year and you'll immediately enjoy an ad-free experience along with access to subscriber features and future articles for a full year.

Together, we're not simply sustaining All About Jazz—we're building its future. Thank you for being part of the journey.