It does not matter how late Sinne Eeg has come across the pond to the shores of the Americas. It’s high time we here in North America discover the sensuous velvet tones and luscious dark colours of her voice, or – for that matter – that she chose a format made famous by Sheila Jordan: a bass and voice album – with which to engage us in her illustrious career already blossoming in Europe. Perhaps there is a lesson for us here. So geographically adrift from the rest of the world, we have become a tad myopic and will not look beyond the shores of Halifax, Nova Scotia in the North and New York in the South, or across the Western Seaboard from Coal Harbour to Anacortes. Nevertheless here we are with a stunning recording for the purist.
Sinne Eeg is probably one of the most attractive voices on the planet. First in line for the European throne, probably a close second in line for the one in the US, after Marianne Solivan, with Sheila Jordan currently occupying the throne of all vocalists across continents. Ms. Eeg sings with heartwarming radiance and clarity. She shines most rivetingly on a programme of standards and let’s face it, the more these pieces are sung, the greater the demands on the vocalist to make something exceptional of them. But Sinne Eeg has a voice from heaven. Her dark innocence reflects beautifully the bottom of the music as played here by Thomas Fonnesbæk’s bass. These are nothing if not exquisite responses to the musical texts, with a reading that is ultimately arresting and especially memorable.
Ms. Eeg is the kind of vocalist who makes every note to die for. However, she seems never to work too hard, or so much as strain to get the sound of the note to ring in her voice. She has perfect pitch, sings with effortless grace, a four-dimensional perspective – the fourth being the quintessence. So beautiful and ghostly are her vocalastics that she seems to raise them from the ether. She favours more luxuriant textures, which result in a top-heavy balance that acts as a counterpoint for her bass-playing partner here. Her lucidity and maturity makes her more immediately approachable and memorable and speaking of memories, Sinne Eeg recalls all that was classy and unforgettable of Betty Carter.
With the bass adding to the vibrant background, Sinne Eeg makes the songs flow naturally with their fluid rhythms and their instinctive, indeed inspired contours that follow and enhance the sentiments of the verse. Ms. Eeg’s luscious, flexible voice with its range of registers is exploited to fruitful effect and seems to be an ideal vehicle for this repertoire. Her clear enunciation and relishing of the sounds of the words match her lyricism and her agility in the tricky rhythmic deceits. She makes the music live and breathe and knows how to make her voice with both , respect resourcefulness, qualities that she echoes so beautifully throughout this unforgettable disc.
Track List: Willow Weep for Me; Taking it Slow; Evil Man Blues; You Don’t Know What Love Is; Summertime; Body and Soul; Beautiful Love; Come Rain or Shine; Fellini’s Waltz.
Personnel: Sinne Eeg: vocals; Thomas Fonnesbæk: acoustic and electric bass.
Label: Stunt Records
Release date: September 2015
Website: sinnemusic.com
Running time: 41:41
Buy music on: amazon
About Sinne Eeg
Sinne Eeg is one of the strongest new female vocalists from the Scandinavian jazz scene. With 5 albums Sinne Eeg has established herself as a Danish jazz singer with international potential. Sinne Eeg’s distinctive vocals have earned her a loyal and ever growing fan base around the world as well as in her native country. As a singer she is influenced by Nancy Wilson, Betty Carter and Sarah Vaughan, but with her personal touch of soft darkness, Sinne keeps the Scandinavian melancholy settled in her music. Read more…
