Laura Freeman: Something Cool
Laura Freeman
Something Cool
Reviewed by Carla Gordon
Laura Freeman’s debut CD is delightful. She is on her game. Singing a scootch lower than previously gives her supported sound with cleaner pitches, enabling a thousand layers of rich interpretation. In Freeman’s care, Susan Werner’s “I Can’t Be New” is sensuous and jazzy. “It’s a Lovely Day Today,” combined with “I Got the Sun in the Morning,” and ”Orange Colored Sky” recalls chirpy ingenues from 1930s movies. Instrumental interludes throughout are lush. The typically perky “Tea for Two” becomes a tender daydream under Freeman’s wistful interpretation. Dolly Parton’s “Jolene,” presented in three-part harmony with Beckie Menzie and Marianne Murphy Orland, is a frank message of womanhood. Freeman builds a medley from “Paint Your Wagon” from a search for something lost to a promising new adventure. Its blue grassy-banjo accompaniment is so right. The title track is glorious. Freeman finds the hope, sorrow and, ultimately, the truth of that lonely woman at the bar. “Meadowlark” is a grand flight of voice, hope, and discovery. The CD’s mix is fun—doo wop, pop, jazz (yummy scat on “Hand in Hand”), country and meaty ballads. Menzie’s imaginative arrangements are meaningful contributions to this fine debut CD.
Category: Chicago, Music, Music Reviews
