Jazz Journal

Relying purely on the quality of her voice and her ability to deliver lyrics in a warm, seductive manner, Georgia Mancio sings in a straight-ahead manner, effective for the lack of histrionics. The title track, composed by Georgia and her pianist Tim Lapthorn, is an attractive ballad which receives a laid-back treatment. Chega de Saudade is a lightly swinging opus by Jobim where Ms Mancio’s voice tells a story as she caresses the lyrics and has lively support from Allison Neale’s alto sax and Dave Colton’s guitar.

It is strong material like Too Close For Comfort and Porter’s Get Out Of Town that show the vocalist at her best. Her timing and phrasing on Too Close is spot on, with just guitar and double bass in pulsating support. Soft focus alto sax from Ms Neale sets the mood for a plaintive Never Let Me Go. Unlike many vocalists you get the feeling that Ms Mancio has studied the lyrics carefully on songs like this and when she sings them, she means them, and feels the emotion explicit in every line.

Choosing the right support for an intimate voice such as Georgia has, is of course, very important. Andy Cleyndert, with his strong, lithe bass lines on several selections and Allison Neale’s alto stylings and sweet sound, are crucial to the success of many of these tracks. Tim Lapthorn’s blues based piano chords rescue What A Wonderful World, a banal, over sentimental song but, like every other piece here, Ms Mancio sings it like she believes in it. Even Too Young To Go Steady sounds like a quality standard in this company.

Spin this one a few times, you could find you have Georgia on your mind.