Kat Edmonson - Take to the Sky

Every once in a while, amid the plethora of jazz artists emerges one that makes you rethink what jazz can be. Norah Jones did it. Brad Mehldau continues to do it. And now you can add Kat Edmonson to that list. A product of the great Austin, Texas music scene, Edmonson brings a fresh, vibrant flavor to the common world of modern jazz music, and her debut effort, Take to the Sky, showcases not only her tremendous vocal ability, but also her ear for bringing an original flavor to that which we've come to know as standard.

With her Ella Fitzgerald meets Blossom Dearie meets Bijork vocal stylings, Edmonson immediately divulges that this isn't your daddy's jazz album. That isn't to say that you won't find jazz traditionalists sipping their favorite cocktail while taking in all that Edmonson offers. In fact, her take on traditional numbers like "Summertime" and "Night and Day" will keep even the most strict traditionalist interested, but those very same tracks might also grab the attention of someone who didn't even know jazz was in their collection. On the other side of that coin though are her jazz takes on modern pop tunes like The Cure's "Just Like Heaven" and The Cardigan's "Lovefool." But modern or traditional, all of the tracks on Take to the Sky are done with a grace and sophistication that might seem surprising from such a young artist.

Gershwin's "Summertime" opens the album, and pianist Kevin Lovejoy's Mehldau-like piano arrangement sets a darker, deeper tone for this popular number. Edmonson doesn't stray far from the original melody, but this isn't a bad thing since it actually fits quite well with her sweet and somewhat smokey voice.

Providing almost a 50/50 balance of traditional to modern tunes throughout the album, Summertime is followed by "Just Like Heaven." While not quite unrecognizable from the original, the tune does make you wonder if you're really hearing the song you're thinking of, and then question if maybe it was written for Edmonson in the first place. It takes the feel of "Night in Tunisia" and blends in sweet vocals and mellow sax, bringing out the true love song essence of the original.

Going right back to the traditional, Edmonson really shows you what she's made of with the arrangement of the ultra-traditional "Night and Day." To say that no one could do it better than Frank would be a fair statement, but she gives ol' Blue Eyes a serious run for his money. Chris Lovejoy's samba-esq base and Kevin's "Freddie Freeloader" influenced piano set a unique foundation for Edmonson's vocals.

"Lovefool" provides almost a touch of humor while also impressing with the ability to take 90s pop and transform it into 50s jazz. Another great choice by Edmonson, she's able to take a song she probably spent a lot of time singing in the shower and make it her own. You can even hear traces of Cardigans' lead singer Nina Persson in Edmonson's style.

Cole Porter's "Just One of Those Things" is this blogger's favorite track on Take to the Sky. Bouncing, with touches of driving conga and dirty sax, the tune really seems to encompass all of her (and her band's) greatest qualities.

Unique renditions of Carole King's (The Chiffons) "One Fine Day" and John Lennon's "(Just Like) Starting Over" close out the album and are unique not just because they aren't originally jazz tunes, but because they are popular tunes that aren't from Edmonson's lifetime. They just go to show that nothing is off limits, nor is her repertoire limited to just the jazz or modern age.

Overall, Take to the Sky is an admirable freshman effort from an artist who I believe will be seen more and more over the coming years. On an album with no original tracks, Edmonson is able to demonstrate an originality and uniqueness not found in many of her modern counterparts. Even more to this point, Edmonson's two independent singles, "Lucky" (featured on an episode of The United States of Tara) and "Be the Change" show that she is not going to be limited solely to jazz and can appeal to a variety of audiences. Unfortunately, for the moment, her live performances seem to be limited to the Texas area, but her great success there is a hopeful sign that she may soon spread her wings.

Rating
Overall: 3/5
Originality: 3/5
Production: 4/5
Listenability: 4/5

Available at Itunes, CD Baby and Amazon.com. Preview all tracks at www.myspace.com/katedmonson.
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