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And it’s about time there was a new album as the last one was in 2005! And the CD kicks off with a bit of a big jazz club tune of ‘The Lamp Is Low’ with a strong accent on the percussion of Beverley Botsford and Nnenna doing a bit of a Cleo Lane (which seems a rather appropriate time to mention that Nnenna due to appear at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club on 23rd to 25th July)

In addition to Botsford on percussion, its her usual backing band of Brandon McCune (piano), Wayne Batchelor (bass), Kinah Ayah (drums), (percussion) and the album features some special guest appearances by Ray Codrington (flugelhorn), Scott Sawyer (guitar), Ira Wiggins (saxophone) and John Brown (double bass).

Judging by the cover, the classic ‘I Feel Pretty’ (from West Side Story) is idea material for her and her and the band kill it with Codrington’s beautiful horn solo in the middle.

And then jazz fans will know ‘The Theme From Valley Of The Dolls’ (The 1967 movie and not to be confused with Russ Meyer’s Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls) from instrument versions by Dorothy Ashby (from the classic Afro-Harping album, an all-time favourite of Simon S) and the “jazz, mysticism, exotica” of Gabor Szabo on CTi. Apparently, the track was originally composed by Stu Phillips with vocals by Dionne Warwick (blimey, this is very Jonny Trunk) and Nnenna’s version is the ‘quickie’, straight in and with such a clarity and easy, its obvious why she’s won so many awards.

‘Skylark’ is a duet with bassist Brown which is very much stand alone and ‘You And The Night And The Music’ goes old jazz-funk on the electric piano front, there’s a heavy modern drum twist (as its arranged by Ayah) with a Latin tip at the end.

And whilst on the point, I would have preferred some more of the Latin Jazz elements that scatter the album concentrated in a couple of songs at least but to make up for that, there’s the laid-back reggae groove of ‘Get Out Of Town’ with skat (what would Cole Porter make of that?) and the jokey blues of her own composition ‘Cell Phone Blues’ are another couple of highlights; “get out of my condominium” indeed! We haven’t even got a summer house over this side of the pond you know!

And the one for the kids is a hip-hoppy ‘Lift Every Voice And Sing’ with rap provided by her son Pierce Freelon (this is an unlikely partnership but actually works rather well).

On the not so positive note, ‘The Very Thought Of You’ goes very piano lounge and the album ends on ‘America The Beautiful’ (that’s one for the home market) and you wonder why we didn’t get such a beautiful arrangement on any of the other tracks?

We’re told that this material has been part of the bands live set for the past fire years (that’s since her last studio album Blueprint Of A Lady: Sketches Of Billie Holiday) so that they’ve been fully road tested so to speak and that thorough intimacy of the band and the songs certain come through the speakers.

Reviewed: Nnenna Freelon - Homefree (Concord Jazz) Cat. No. Release date: 5th July 2010
Tracklisting:
1 The Lamp Is Low (4:58)
2 I Feel Pretty (5:39)
3 The Very Thought Of You (6:02)
4 Theme From Valley Of The Dolls (5:01)
5 Smile (4:15)
6 You And The Night And The Music (4:39)
7 Cell Phone Blues (4:40)
8 Get Out Of Town (4:22)
9 Skylark (5:19)
10 Lift Every Voice And Sing (4:39)
11 America The Beautiful (2:52)

Links:
www.myspace.com/nnennafreelon
www.concordmusicgroup.com/artists/Nnenna-Freelon/