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Lucky Me by Mary Kadderly, Self-released,
2003 ($15.00) - Portland jazz vocalist Mary Kadderly has released
her finest album yet with Lucky Me. Folding in elements of rock,
country, and pop, Mary shows off her broad range but also maintains
a unified sound, thanks in part to some excellent musicianship. From
tender ballads to sassy romps, every song here is quite catchy.
-- Michael, Annie Blooms Books
Kadderly's smoky vocals recall Natalie Cole
in her "Unforgettable" phase. Her latest release, Lucky Me, is a
tender assemblage of original songs, a Bobbie Gentry cover and some
reconditioned Twelfth Night snippets set to a jazzy soundtrack.
-- Kim Colton, Willamette Week
"Lucky Me." More like lucky us. This
continues Portlander Kadderly's smart blending of styles, with an
album of jazz-meets-R&B-meets-blues-meets-folk. This disc is even
more cohesive than her last album of originals, "I Go Zoom," in that
it has a distinct feel. even with blending as many styles as it
does. The opener, "Scene of the Crime," is a dark, slinking, sparse
blueser that sounds a bit like Patricia Barber but with Kadderly's
sweet, versatile voice. "Love Reconnaissance" sounds like a track
off a Sade album in its slow, drifting funk groove, and her laid
back delivery of Bobbie Gentry's "Ode to Billy Joe" recalls down
south storytelling in its jazzy-funky-country oeuvre. Things go even
more country on "Tonight I'm Your Bride," where Kadderly's relaxed
delivery heightens the twangy feel with some nice fiddle work by
Eddie Parente. The musicianship throughout is tops, with some of
Portland's best in tow. Guitarists Dan Faehnle, Dan Gildea, Tim
Ellis and Dan Balmer all turn in nice textures and tones, while
bassist Joey Seifers holds down the bottom end with the subtlety
called for on a restrained album such as this. Kadderly even works
in Shakespeare on two tracks, with the words from "Twelfth Night"
smartly infused into the cool jazzer "When That I Was" and the
tender ballad, "O Mistress Mine."
-- Kyle O'Brien, Oregon Jazz Scene
Kadderly shows her skill on smooth "Lucky Me."
Her airy, alto singing voice has hit its stride, and it's clear that
years of dinner club deliveries have polished her talent, Kadderly
can get sassy and coy like Kay Starr, be as coolly detached as Sade,
even ooze overt sensuality like Julie London.
Kadderly also seems to know that no matter how
good a singer is, the band behind has to hold up their end of the
deal. So for this recording, she brought together talented play
including guitarists Tim Ellis, Dan Balmer, Dan Gildea and Dan
Faenhle; pianists Clay Giberson and Peter Boe; bassists Joey Seifers
and Phil Baker; drummers Anthony Jones and Reinhardt Melz and
multi-instrumentalist, Bob Stark. "Lucky Me" starts out snazzy with
the bittersweet "Scene of the Crime," which shows off Kadderly's
ability to slip and slide through various vocal scales. The
following "Love Reconnaissance" takes on a smoky groove, with her
voice following suit and sounding remarkably like Sade.
Kadderly's cover of Bobbie Gentry's "Ode to Billie Joe," a country
classic, is unforgettable. The only track of the nine she did not
compose, the mysterious chart-topper is slowed down with a plump
bass and a lazy beat, brightened with Hammond B-3 organ flourishes.
Kadderly's sleepy phrasing lends a spooky quality, and her
intonation is spot-on. "Tonight I'm Your Bride" adds a little
down-home flair and fun into the mix while taking a playful look at
prenuptial desire. The last two tracks on "Lucky Me" transport the
words of William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" into the jazz world.
It's a neat trick, and the arrangements ideally suit the
soliloquies, though the bass-heavy "When That I Was" sounds like
more of a classic than the somewhat staid "0 Mistress Mine." As on
previous efforts, Kadderly works best when she keeps things cooking.
Slower ballads such as the title track, while carried off with
feeling and class, just don't satisfy as do those with more zoom.
Regardless, Mary Kadderly is a true talent and "Lucky Me" is really
lucky we.
-- Scott D. Lewis, The Oregonian
Review: Christmas Memories
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