Jazz Review - January 2005

Singer Sarah Moule and her regular quartet - pianist/composer Simon Wallace, bassist Mick Hutton, drummer Paul Robinson - have done sterling work over the last few years bringing the songs of Fran Landesman and Wallace to the jazz public's attention, and here they mix this repertoire with the work of another superb lyricist, Johnny Mercer, to produce a finely balanced, intelligent set. Moule is not a heart-on-sleeve emotion-wringer, but a thoughtful interpreter of a lyric, so Landesman's unflinching self-scrutiny suits her well, and supported by some powerful guest performances from the likes of saxophonist Pete Wareham and guitarist Jim Mullen, ‘Something's Gotta Give’ is both immediately enjoyable and thought-provoking.

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