Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Barb Jungr: Walking In The Sun

185

Barb Jungr: Walking In The Sun

By

View read count
Barb Jungr: Walking In The Sun
The UK, for whatever reason, has in recent years developed its own treasure trove of jazz vocalists that most favorably compare with any in the world. The foremost female among these is Barb Jungr, whose prior releases have seen her tackle Dylan, Brel and Elvis with stunning results. She is able to add new depth through sparse, mood-evoking arrangements to known tunes with a style that owes much to her early musical diet of Northern British soul combined with jazz and cabaret. With a voice and attitude that is custom-made for "cool blues, Walking in the Sun finds Jungr pooling her talents to deliciously convey a myriad of emotions with each sung syllable.

She begins by elegantly merging her sultriness with the eerie machismo of the original to turn "Who Do You Love? into a distinctively feminine query. Bassist Steve Watts, pianist Jenny Carr and the soulful organist Jessica Lauren freeze you in your tracks as they find the blues in Dylan's "Trouble in Mind, before Lauren turns to harmonica when she and Jungr deftly pay homage to "Blind Willie McTell. Jungr's originals, "Beautiful Life and "Drink Me Up, suit the agenda well; the former provides lovely respite with its uplifting take on life's wonders, and the latter celebrates blueswomen everywhere with its stylish use of piano, organ and Jungr's distinctive phrasing.

The interesting juxtaposition of a gospel-tinged "Walking in Memphis with Jeff Barry's equally spiritual "Walking in the Sun, beautifully conveyed by cellist Gabriella Swallow, makes for an inspirational foray into the blues' flip side. Jungr and Carr partner on the great bluesman Brownie McGhee's "Rainy Day for a starkly emotional presentation, before the bluesy humor of Jimmy Reed's "Take out Some Insurance brings a smile to the previous pathos.

Harmonies reminiscent of Sweet Honey in the Rock are united with Randy Newman's "God Song and the traditional "Run on for a Long Time as Jungr, Carr and Lauren form a vocal trio, leading into a uniquely percussive and personal take on Jimmy Cliff's "Many Rivers to Cross, where Jungr sings with drummer Roy Dodds. Eric Bibb uses his guitar to add bluesy coloration throughout, and his rhythmical "Heading Home sets the stage for Carole King's divine closer, "Way Over Yonder. In this program that joins the blues with gospel, Jungr has again come up with a winning formula.

Track Listing

Who do You Love?; Trouble in Mind; Beautiful Life; Drink Me Up; Walking in Memphis; Walking in the Sun; Rainy Day; Take Out Some Insurance; Run on for a Long Time/God Song; Blind Willie McTell; Many Rivers to Cross; Heading Home; Way Over Yonder.

Personnel

Barb Jungr
vocals

Barb Jungr: vocals; Jenny Carr: piano; Jessica Lauren: organ, bass piano and harmonicas; Steve Watts: bass; Roy Dodds: percussion; Gabriella Swallow: cello; Eric Bibb: guitars; Barb Jungr, Jenny Carr, Jessica Lauren: backing vocals.

Album information

Title: Walking In The Sun | Year Released: 2006 | Record Label: Naim Jazz

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT



Barb Jungr Concerts

Sep 27 Sat

Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter 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.

More

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.