Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Sarah DeLeo: The Nearness of You

Sarah DeLeo: The Nearness of You

By Michael P. Gladstone
October 9, 2005
View read count

Jazz vocalist Sarah DeLeo's debut album is bookended by two bossa nova treatments from the Great American Songbook: the Shapiro/Campbell piece "If I Had You" and Cole Porter's "So In Love." The most notable aspect of DeLeo's style is the Peggy Lee vibe that she often summons up in her delivery of these songs. Over the past year, we've seen and read a lot about singers like Madeleine Peyroux, who presents almost all of her material in a very accurate Billie Holiday setting. The issue, in that case, still remains: are we listening to an imitation or sincerity?

In the case of Sarah DeLeo, I believe that we're only conscious of the similarity on songs that were in the Peggy Lee songbook. For instance, her performance of Lee's oft-used opening song "It's A Good Day," co-written by her then-husband Dave Barbour, is right on the money. I cannot think of an existing recording of Peggy Lee performing the Ray Charles-associated song "(The Night Time Is) The Right Time," although I've seen her singing Ray Charles tunes on TV during the early '60s. DeLeo's rendering of this song is amazingly close to how Lee might have performed it, right down to the arrangement.

The Ned Washington/Hoagy Carmichael title tune is given an intimate reading assisted by Chris Bergson's guitar work, and on the Matt Dennis/Earl Brent classic "Angel Eyes" DeLeo performs an attractive duet with Mark Verdino's bass. Ditto for the Rodgers & Hart song "It's Easy To Remember," with only the supporting trio of Bergson, Verdino, and Diego Voglino on brushes. However, the Billy Hill ballad "The Glory of Love" is a mistake. Upgraded to a rock-ish tempo, the lyrics are sung in an odd meter, evidently reflecting the work of rapper Mos Def, and become meaningless.

The Nearness of You also includes two songs taken from more contemporary settings. Americana singer/songwriter Erin McKeown contributes "Blackbirds" and Chuck Meyer and Bill Jones provide a witty "Too Young For The Blues."

Track Listing

If I Had You; It's a Good Day; The Nearness of You; The Right Time; The Glory of Love; Blackbirds; Too Young for the Blues; Angel Eyes; It's Easy to Remember; So in Love.

Personnel

Sarah DeLeo

vocals

Sarah DeLeo: vocal; Chris Bergson: guitar; Brian Charette: piano; David Cook: Rhodes electric piano; Chuck Mackinnon: trumpet; Mark Verdino: bass; Diego Boglino: drums.

Album information

Title: The Nearness of You | Year Released: 2005 | Record Label: Sweet Sassy Music

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Williamsburg Jazz Festival 2005
< Previous

Charlie Parker Jazz Festival 2005
Next >

Support All About 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 make 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.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves 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.