This 2005 Canadian Idol contestant from the newly-conjoined Newfoundland and Labrador is more than just a pretty pop music singer. With her multi-octave range, she belongs among the elite of old-school divas like Barbara Streisand and Celine Dion. As with Streisand, the tonal quality of her voice can occasionally be stretched slightly beyond the limits of aural tolerance, but for the most part, she delivers a pleasant auditory experience.
On the ten-track disc, Ms. Evans has full or partial writing credits on five songs, and truthfully I enjoyed these much more than the covers. The exceptions were the sassy, mid-tempo �Blues in the Night�, composed by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer, which seemed tailor-made for her, and Audrey Pike�s �Personal Guru�. Of the originals, my favourites were the Latin-tinged soft rock-jazz fusion of �Falling (Cavendo)�, a collaboration with Barry Canning, and her own �Divine Love�, seemingly influenced by Joni Mitchell, and the uptempo �Mask�, which marries funk and reggae. Kelly-Ann�s �Round It Goes� is less likeable to me personally, but there�s no denying its potential for commercial popularity.
�Natural Woman�, first popularized by Carole King, one of its collaborators, is delivered in a saucy slow-blues manner, showcasing the exquisite talents of saxman Craig Noseworthy and producer Brian Way on keyboards. Happily, Kelly-Ann manages to restrain the urge to go over the top vocally, something this composition tends to lend itself towards.
The closing smooth-jazz track, �Higher Ground�, by Keith Poyer, did absolutely nothing for me, but that�s just my personal dislike for this passionless genre. Perhaps a punchier rhythm and blues take on it would have rendered it more inspiring.
There were numerous back-up vocalists on Audrey Pike�s �Better than Good�, including Kelly Barnes, Leah Coombs, Julia Halfyard, Keely Hutton (also a Canadian Idol contestant), Taylor-Lynn Morgan and Sarah Rogers. Throughout the CD, the rhythm section was comprised of Scott Mansfield on drums, James McCoy on bass, and trumpeters Mike Snelgrove and Jim Proyse and trombonist Audrey Cooper made up the brass section, along with the aforementioned Craig Noseworthy. All of the guitar work, including a dobro and classical, was provided by Trey Combs.
While Kelly-Ann retained control of the vocal arrangements, anyone and everyone who assisted with You Decide, right down to the all-important piano tuner (Joe Tompkins) and hair and make-up artists (Trish Mooloy & Karen Froggart) is given credit on this St. John�s-to-Markham musical production. That tells me she truly appreciates her built-in fan club and keeps her own self-importance in perspective. To purchase your own copy of the CD, visit her website at www.kelly-annevans.com. |
