Donna Greenberg is a singer/songwriter residing in Toronto, Canada. Her sophomore effort Mav'rik was released in 2011. I was unfamiliar with her work until I heard Mav'rik for the first time. Greenberg's music spans a few different genres all under the jazz umbrella. A common thread throughout the album's twelve songs is Greenberg's smooth, sultry voice.
The album has a classic, old style jazzy feel; a very feel good record and one that transports the listener to a more innocent time. A case in point is the '40s sounding "You're My Summer Peach" a delightfully jazzy piece done in the tradition of the classic standards of yesteryear. The song opens with ukulele and the scratchy noises of an album being played as the needle hits the groove. Then Louis Armstrong's gravelly voice flows through the speakers. Of course it's not Louis but a very good rendering done by impersonator Jon Seiger. Seiger's vocals return throughout the song making this quite an endearing duet. I think my dad would have really liked this one as Satchmo was his all-time favourite musician. More upbeat tracks include the tango/salsa combination of "La Niña de Rosa" and the slow blues of "I Just Wanna Cry". On the mellower side there is the relaxing "Nature's Glory", a folky ballad with minimalist instrumentation and "There Was A Time", a love song done in the tradition of that classic crooner style with some nice strings and piano to further soften the mood. The melancholic ballad "My Tearless Grief" features a nice sax solo and strings.
Other songs include the gospel tinged "Praise Be" with horns, Hammond and twangy lead guitar and the old time country flavour of "Old Country Road" where fiddles and acoustic picking come to the forefront.
This is not the type of album I would pull out all that often or typically review, after all this is a progressive rock music site, but it's a professional sounding recording and very well done. If you like your jazz encompassing a wide range of genres you may find this to your liking.
Track Listing:
1. The Language of Love (4:31)
2. You're My Summer Peach (4:10)
3. Nature's Glory (3:57)
4. La Niña de Rosa (4:06)
5. There Was a Time (4:24)
6. Praise Be (3:28)
7. Old Country Road (3:08)
8. My Tearless Grief (4:28)
9. O Amado Coraҫão (4:07)
10. The Springtime of Our Love (5:34)
11. I Just Wanna Cry (5:13)
12. Berceuse (4:24)
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Donna Greenberg is a singer/songwriter residing in Toronto, Canada. Her sophomore effort Mav'rik was released in 2011. I was unfamiliar with her work until I heard Mav'rik for the first time. Greenberg's music spans a few different genres all under the jazz umbrella. A common thread throughout the album's twelve songs is Greenberg's smooth, sultry voice.
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