Spirit Child (1999)

About this title: Drawing on influences that range from Abbey Lincoln and Dianne Reeves, to various soul artists, Lenora Zenzalai Helm took an R&B-minded approach to jazz singing on her debut album, Spirit Child. This CD gave the impression that the big-voiced Helm (who is noteworthy as both a scat singer and an interpreter of lyrics) had spent a lot of time listening to post-bop instrumentalists like John Coltrane and Wayne Shorter, but also had a healthy appreciation of Earth, Wind & Fire, Stevie Wonder and the late Phyllis Hyman -- in fact, there are times that Helm's phrasing gives us some idea what Hyman ... read more

Tracks:

1. Keep Takin' Me Higher [Saunders/Helm]
2. My Favorite Things [Rodgers/Hammerstein]
3. Summer Soft [Wonder]
4. The Life That You Live May Not Be Your Own [Helm]
5. More Than You Know [Eliscu/Rose/Youmans]
6. Boomerang [Helm]
7. Twisted [Gray/Ross]
8. Single Petal of a Rose [Ellington]
9. 'Round Midnight [Williams/Hanighen]
10. Spirit Child [Shorter/Helm]
11. Ode to a Soulmate [Shorter/Helm]
12. Summertime [Gershwin/Gershwin]

Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is further described below.