Liane Carroll - Seaside - Jazzwise

Hooking up for a third time with producer and musician James McMillan, Liane Carroll brings the entire spectrum of her artistry to bear on this 10-track love letter to her hometown of Hastings. For anyone who had the pleasure of hearing her perform the Joe Stilgoe-penned title track earlier this year at the Old Vic, Evan Jolly's widescreen, brass-rich arrangement on the album takes the song to completely new levels of gorgeousness. Following a towering scat on ‘Almost Like Being In Love', Carroll's slow, heartbreakingly lovely version of ‘Bring Me Sunshine' cannot fail to bring a lump to the throat. ‘I Cover The Waterfront' and ‘My Ship', with its surprising gear change ushering in yet another breathtaking scat solo, offer balm for the soul following the melancholic slow burn of ‘Get Me Through December', ‘Mercy Now' and ‘Wild Is The Wind', before the hymnal calm of ‘For Those In Peril On The Sea' brings this exceptional album to a close. In Liane Carroll, the art of the song has one of its greatest exponents.