Carla Cook - It's All About Love [CD]

From the first lyric notes struck by Carla Cook on this album, it's clear that the word "versatile" barely begins to describe her talents as a vocalist. Cook has a smoky voice that relishes the lower ranges, where flurries of lyrics get spooled together only to come rolling out in a variety of quick and slow paces, brief and elongated durations, and more. Her educational training is apt for her talents: she studied speech communication and makes exactness of phrase sound downright artful, frequently dropping in tiny scat elements that keep the music skipping and full of bounce. Cook's band expands around the sublime piano work of Cyrus Chestnut (or the more rambunctious piano of Andy Milne) to include violinist Regina Carter, who has a prodigious fullness of tone. Cook tackles tunes by Milton Nascimento, Marvin Gaye, and even Neil Young. And it all works flawlessly. A 1999 Grammy Award nominee, Cook is destined to make high marks. --Andrew Bartlett