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Personnel: Marvin Sewell (guitar); Reginald Veal (trumpet); Jason Moran (piano); Lonnie Plaxico, Nicholas Payton (bass instrument); Herlin Riley (drums); Lekan Babalola (percussion). Cassandra Wilson continues her reign as one of the best jazz vocalists of the late 20th and early 21st century on 2008's LOVERLY. Even though songs like "Caravan," "Til There Was You," or "Lover, Come Back to Me" might be judged as some of the moldiest oldies in the American songbook, Wilson's gifts as an interpreter, and the superb band she's assembled, enliven these chestnuts in a way that makes them wholly fresh. Wilson fans already adore her dusky, honeyed vocal texture as well as her stylish, drawn-out phrasing, and there's plenty of that here, especially on sultry showcases like "Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most," and "Dust My Broom." Whether the vibe is Latin ("Black Orpheus") or funk ("St. James Infirmary"), Wilson makes the tune her own. But part of LOVERLY's appeal rests in the sometimes ambient, sometimes edgy playing of her ensemble, which includes guitarist Marvin Sewell and the pianist Jason Moran (check out his solo on "Lover Come Back to Me"). Organic, seductive, and gorgeous, LOVERLY is a first-rate jazz album that makes the Great American Songbook irresistible again.
