2008-04-14
Sultry, seductive, bluesy, jazzy & beautiful are just a few of the adjectives to describe the voice of Raya Yarbrough. Raya started singing jazz at the age of seven and it’s easy to see how the classic artists like Nina Simone, Clifford Brown & others have shaped her musical style. It is also easy to see that Raya doesn’t want to be pigeonholed into being just another Jazz singer as she opens with the bluesy “Lord Knows I Would” & then shifts gears into the Reggae flavored “You’re So Bad For Me”. Several tracks have a certain Pop feel to them & the ending up-tempo “Better Days” Raya has a vocal scat that makes this listener believe she has many better days ahead. - Gregg SaurSOMI
If the Rains Come First
MAUREEN CHOI QUARTET
Maureen Choi Quartet
STEFON HARRIS
African Tarantella
Shirley Horn
Live At The 4 Queens
NOAH BAERMAN, WAYNE ESCOFFERY, AMANDA MONACO, VINNIE SPERRAZZA, HENRY LUGO
Playdate
Joshua Redman Elastic Band
Momentum
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