Michelle Lordi ....

3/31/15
Vintage Bar & Grill
Featuring Sonny Troy and Larry McKenna
1116 Old York Rd - Abington, PA 19001

Michelle Lordi sings in a way that is uncommon today: simple, straightforward, direct, and conveying the emotions in the way we all do: in our voice inflections. No gimmicks. This is a style that emerged in the swing and cool jazz eras, a strict adherence to the tune that virtually vanished as singers began to add embellishments, scat, and too often a hysterical emotionality where personality crowded out the melody. In particular, Lordi owes something special to Chet Baker and Blossom Dearie. Baker sang with ultra-cool understatement, while Dearie, who accompanied herself incredibly well on the piano, emphasized swing and added an element of innocence. Cool uncorrupted understatement that swings is a way to describe Lordi's vocal style in a nutshell. Her voice is clear and never shrill, her diction is flawless, and she uses almost no vibrato. So what you get is the pure unadulterated song. 

Lordi is graced to have two outstanding musicians to accompany her: Tom Lawton, a master of the piano and all its possibilities; and Aleck Brickman, a bassist with a precise yet lively rhythm that grounds the music and keeps it moving at the same time. You'll rarely hear piano accompaniment of a vocalist that is as good as Lawton's. One has to refer to Alan Broadbent's way of working with Irene Kral to find another example where the pianist is imaginative and evocative and yet complementing the singer so well rather than sticking out and intruding. This makes the album a pleasure to hear from beginning to end.