BlogCritics Music Review: Lyn Stanley Sings ‘Potions [From The 50s’]

Lyn Stanley Sings ‘Potions [From The 50s’]
Review written by Jack Goodstein in BlogCritics.org.

“Sexy and seductive—these are the best words to describe the vocals of Lyn Stanley. When she sings a song like “Teach Me Tonight,” who is going to be teaching what to whom is quite clear. Of course she has other moods, but sexy and seductive isn’t bad.

Her new album, a compendium of pop hits from the 1950s, Potions (From the ’50s), follows up her successful debut album Lost in Romance where the focus of her musical choices, while including material from the ‘50s, was broader. But no matter what she is singing, she has an enchanting knack for touching hearts.

The album opens with pianist George Shearing’s “Lullaby of Birdland” brilliantly arranged as a cha cha. An ex-ballroom dancer, she likes those strong dance rhythms, and rightly so, they make for a vibrant approach to the jazz classic. Sultry follows with her haunting version of “Cry Me a River,” punctuated by Rickey Woodard’s tenor sax. She goes up tempo, making the point that sexy isn’t the only thing she can do, with the ubiquitous “Fly Me to the Moon.” Her strong and brassy take on “Hey There” is paralleled by Glenn Dewey’s work on trumpet.”

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