Monologue (2005)

About this title: A quick sophomore release following the previous year's Baker Sings Chet, Monologue is another chance for jazz singer Jeff Baker to come out of his Idahoan hiding place. The songs vary a good deal more than the Chet Baker repertoire of his debut, and provide a larger palette for him to work with. As such, there's a greater spectrum of sound as a result. Baker holds on to a melancholy tune quite well, opening the album with a couple of such numbers. Other pieces demand a slightly faster, more jumping approach. Baker doesn't disappoint, but his seemingly Hartman-inspired delivery tends to lag ... read more

Tracks:

1. That Old Feeling [Brown/Fain]
2. Answer Me [Winkler/Sigman/Rauc]
3. You Don't Know What Love Is [Raye/DePaul]
4. A Nightingale Sang in Berkley Square [Maschwitz/Sherman]
5. I Didn't Know What Time [Hart/Rogers]
6. You Are Too Beautiful [Hart/Rogers]
7. The More I See You [Gordon/Warren]
8. Come Ready [Hundley]
9. It's Always You [Burke/VanHeusen]
10. Midnight Blue [Fears/Ward]
11. The Promise [Chapman]
12. Beautiful Friendship [Styne/Kahn]

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