A joy to listen to

Reviewed July 2006

San Francisco's Sherri Roberts' new CD shows a jazz vocalist of sophistication, nuance and not a little fun. A straight-ahead supper club singer, Roberts' solid technique and spirited élan make a naturally gifted voice into a true work of art.

Covering a broad swath of popular tunes – from Rodgers and Hart to Bobby Troupe, Jimmy Webb to Antonio Carlos Jobim – Roberts displays an ability to take any song from any style and make it fit perfectly into her sensibility. The album is not only strong throughout, but feels balanced.

Backed by a series of small combos, Roberts is a true jazz singer in that rather than singing above the music, she immerses herself in it and becomes part and parcel of the band. This is a singer who has mastered the form, and her new album is a joy to listen to.

Review by Jim Trageser. Jim is a writer and editor living in Escondido, Calif., and was a contributor to the "Grove Press Guide to Blues on CD" (1993) and "The Routledge Encyclopedia of the Blues" (2005).