Liane Carroll - Seaside - Bebop Spoken Here

The preeminent UK jazz singer & pianist, and long-time south coast resident, Liane Carroll's latest album is devoted to the sea and its environs. Initiated by the song Seaside, written for Carroll by singer-songwriter Joe Stilgoe, this musically diverse selection explores love and relationships, reflecting how changes in the physical environment are used as metaphors for the transience and frailty of so much that is cherished.

The opening and title song sets the scene, with an atmospheric brass introduction to a tender waltz, with seaside reminiscences of new found love (Come kiss me quickly...). In contrast, the next track is an up tempo & totally swinging version of Almost like Being in Love, with Carroll letting loose in some relaxed & accomplished acapella scat. Yet she knows when to hold back and focus on the lyric, with heartfelt deliveries of Bring Me Sunshine and Alison Krauss's Get Me Through December.  The excellent piano trio (keyboard duties shared with Mark Edwards) is augmented by Julian Siegel's tenor in a laid back, funky take on Nobody's Fault But Mine.  Evan Jolly's fine horn arrangements are featured elsewhere, notably in US folk singer Mary Gauthier's Mercy Now, which gradually builds to a wall of sound, complementing Carroll's powerful, soulful rendition. The album ends aptly with the hymn For Those in Peril on the Sea, featuring Grammy nominated producer James McMillan on soaring flugel horn. Seaside is their third album together, and another outstanding project.