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Page 2 of 2
 Photo by Andrea Canter The opening track, “You’d Be So
Nice to Come Home To,” sets the tone for the rest, as Vicky moves
into scat after the first chorus. Mel Torme’s “Born to Be Blue”
gets big band treatment from Kelly Rossum’s arrangement and
Rossum’s and Keel’s horns. With Lomheim on B-3, the small
ensemble sounds like a full orchestra, brightening the blues with
upbeat swing. “In Passing” shows off Vicky’s adroit spin of
lyrics to complement Lomheim’s composition, and the result is like
a warmer Patricia Barber.
“In Your Own Sweet Way” (featuring
Caviani, O’Brien, and Schutte) yields some surprising shifts in
pitch that keep it interesting, as well as an upbeat Latin vibe.
Caviani cuts loose with a lively improvisation with quick shifts of
its own. Vicky takes the title track as a slow ballad, with a touch
of vulnerability in the timbre and phrasing that says, “I’ve been
through it all.” Keel’s sax feeds the feeling with short riffs,
then slowing to a sweet solo with an airy vibrato.
“Love for Sale” (arranged by
Mountain and O’Brien) is one of the more familiar selections but
hardly a mundane version. It’s sexy, teasing, and daring—daring
someone to “buy.” The instrumental accompaniment adds a
satirical, almost sinister quality; Vicky’s scatting (across
several octaves) after the first chorus further moves this away from
the realm of mere standard. Caviani also shines here, adding
quirkiness and a touch of montuno as the congas (played by sound
master Matthew Zimmerman) and percussion fuel a tropical breeziness.
The melding of Rossum’s “Lead
Soldiers” with Vicky’s lyrics provides one of the most
interesting tracks. Starting with a vocalese duet with Rossom (which
is repeated between verses), Vicky tells a story of urban angst as
O’Brien and Pilhofer provide the backdrop.
Vicky also embellishes the Mercer and
Kern gem “I’m Old Fashioned” with an added verse of vocalese.
Another tropical breeze blows by with
“This Happy Madness,” a tune from the Jobim songbook with lyrics
by Gene Lees. Zimmerman’s bongos add a bit of samba to the rhythm.
With Lomheim playing a charming, tinkling electric piano and Axtell
on keyboards as well, this track offers a rich texture of
instrumental music supporting Mountain’s conversational phrasing.
“Surviving the Big One” is Charlie Pennel’s David
Frishberg-like tune, requiring the vocal gymnastics that Vicky
Mountain has long mastered. Her vocal dexterity allows her to run
through the rapid-fire lyrics with clear articulation, particularly
important as the words to this tune are not included in the CD liner.
The track also provides a good opportunity for Lomheim and O’Brien
to share the spotlight.
Marissa Dodge’s “Jaded Heart” is
another slow tempo song of love, and again the vulnerability lives in
both lyric and voice, as well as in Caviani’s balladic
accompaniment; her comping here—echoing the lyric as “delicate”
and with “the slightest touch”— is one of the instrumental
highlights of the recording. “A La Horace (Summer Song)” is a
collaboration between Gary Brunotte and Vicky Mountain, an up tempo
tune with tropical flavors enhanced by Pete Whitman’s flute.
Mountain again scats with Rossum (like a short chorus—repeated
throughout), and Rossum contributes a peppery solo on flugelhorn.
With only Jay Epstein accompanying her on Ellingtons’s “Love You
Madly,” Vicky essentially sings a capella against a luminous wash
of cymbals and drum rolls, and gives the last track the full scat
treatment.
We don’t get enough opportunities to
hear Vicky Mountain in live performance, all the more reason to be
sure to have this recording close by for those nights when you want
to be surrounded by old friends, creatively energized, and new
acquaintances, comfortably engaged. “Don’t go to strangers,”
come to Vicky Mountain.
“Don’t Go to Strangers” as
well as “Birds of a Feather” is available from
www.vickymountain.com.
You can hear Vicky Mountain live at the Dakota as part of the
Minnesota Vocal Coalition showcase on October 6, 7 pm
(www.dakotacooks.com).
[click
here for more information]
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CD/DVD/Book Reviews 
Wednesday, 07 January 2009
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