In her adopted home of England, New Yorker Stacey Kent has been wildly popular since her first record, Close Your Eyes, in 1997. Kent was unknown in the States until 1998 when she appeared on CBS Sunday Morning; before the show ended, thousands of brand-new fans rushed to their computers to buy her second CD, The Tender Trap. The record immediately shot to Number One on Amazon. When her third CD came out, for a time she held three top 10 spots on Amazon, beating out music stars like Eric Clapton and Michael Jackson.
Kent is a straight singer of the great American standards from the Gershwins, Rodgers and Hart, Kern, Mercer, and Berlin. Even though she avoids scat, embellishments, or other re-interpretation, her strengths are the irresistibly girlish quality of her voice and a powerful swing. Often her youthful voice evokes a dreamy and hopeful young girl just entering the adult world of romance and longing, staring at a boy’s picture. Kent’s girlie sound makes you think of past pop singers and reminds you that Mildred Bailey also had a sweet and simple voice as well, and used few tricks.
In her small group settings, Kent also brings to mind Billie Holiday and the young Ella Fitzgerald, although doesn’t seem to reach the former’s deep sadness and greatness with blues. Kent gives “When Your Lover has Gone” a less-than-sad treatment; her entire approach is positive, and avoids all self pity. The young singer favors gin-clear articulation with the help of little more than soft vibrato to bring forth the charming qualities of a well-written song. Why obscure lyrics from “They Can’t Take That Away From Me,” or “Isn’t This A Lovely Day”? As Kent has said, the song is foremost.
Kent’s latest recording on Candid, Dreamsville, is a remarkable collection, all ballads, almost completely suggested by e-mail from fans who visit her web site. Her excellent all-English quintet includes an especially fine rhythm guitarist, Colin Oxley, and her husband Jim Tomlinson on tenor sax, clarinet, and flute.
On “Under a Blanket of Blue,” Kent coos over guitar chord changes, and uses her favored vibrato at the end of lines to nice effect. Every song is a pleasure, and nearly all are old standards: “Isn’t It A Pity?,” “Under a Blanket of Blue,” “Violets for Your Furs,” Nat King Cole’s “You’re Looking At Me,” “Polka Dots and Moonbeams,” and “Little Girl Blue” (with a Stan Getz-sounding sax solo by Tomlinson).
The title song “Dreamsville” was arranged by its composer for this recording, Henry Mancini—a new Kent fan. Another is Clint Eastwood, who flew Kent to the States for his 70th birthday.
Kent is poised to become better known than any jazz musician alive; with one big pop record to exploit her sexy-girlie voice, she could easily have the crossover potential of a George Benson. The problem with doing only standards is that you run out of them. So presumably she will have to turn to newer songs, and it remains to be seen if she and her compatriots are writers. She is sure to attract any good ballad writers out there.
