Instead of simply rehashing standards and styles, vocalist/composer Andy James continues to release material that is both fresh and mature. This time around, she expands her boundaries in a couple of directions, one with a dash of fusion akin to Weather Report as well as a surfeit of Latin ideas percolating around.
James includes a group of her regulars such as Weather Report’s own Alex Acuna/perc as well as John Cowherd/p, John Beasley/B3, Rick Margitza/ts, David Binney/as, Carlito Del Puerto-James Genus/b, John Ellis/ts-ss-bcl, Mino Cinelu/perc and Chico Pinheiro. Throughout the album you feel this exciting tug of war between James delivering an earthy table dance with Cowherd as on the sauntering “Love Is Lost” and the scintillatingly upbeat “Happy People” contested with some modal directions with rich Coltranesque reeds during the supercharged “I Can’t Stop It” and “Dance With You”.
James herself dresses well for each occasion, swirling through the flamenco guitars on “To Be So Young” and oozing a tango through the reeds on a sensuous take of “Besame Mucho” while searing through the rumble of “Caravan”. James is definitely a singer, but she comes across here as one of the musicians in the band, she’s a team player.
