April 1998

Stacey Kent
Close Your Eyes
Candid Records

By Patricia Myers

New Yorker Stacey Kent has been making a splash on the British jazz scene with a clear voice and excellent phrasing. She selects exceptional material, too, the 11 selections all evergreens from the great American songbook. With selective taste and a compelling sense of dynamics, Kent communicates warmth and sensitivity on "More Than You Know," "You Go to My Head" and "There's No You." She takes an upbeat approach to "Little White Lies" and "Day In, Day Out," then chooses to low-key it on "Sleep Warm." Her tasteful U.K. quintet includes tenor saxophonist Jim Tomlinson, guitarist Colin Oxley and a top-flight rhythm section of pianist David Newton, bassist Andrew de Jong Cleyndert and drummer Steve Brown.