Dreamsville [CD, Import, from US]

   1996年録音のデビュー作『クローズ・ユア・アイズ』、セカンド作『テンダー・トラップ』、フレッド・アステア集『レット・ユアセルフ・ゴー』といったアルバムで着実にファンの心をつかんだイギリスの女性歌手、ステイシー・ケント（出身はニューヨーク）が2000年に録音した第4作。この人、2001年のブリティッシュ・ジャズ・アウォードでベスト・ヴォーカリストに選出されている。ノスタルジックでチャーミング、素朴で可憐な歌声が人気を呼び、日本にも根強いファンがいる。いわゆる50年代の白人系ヴォーカルの系譜に属する人。仲宗根かほるの英国版といった感じがしないでもない。本作ではサックス奏者でもある夫君、ジム・トムリンソンを中心とするシンプルなコンボをバックにスタンダード・バラードを優しく語りかけるように歌っていて、心がなごむ。アレンジは本人とトムリンソン。選曲はファンのリクエストによるものだとか。曲は有名スタンダード中心だが、映画『チキ・チキ・バン・バン』からの<8>は意外な選曲。これが実にいい。（市川正二）

Stacey Kent has given jazz singing a huge fillip in the last two years. She has swiftly become the favourite of musicians and ordinary listeners alike. Her work has also defined the field, for she is not aiming, as are most other singers, at a "cabaret" or "night club" audience. Stacey Kent is a committed jazz singer as were Lee Wiley and Billie Holiday before her. She also has musical qualities in common with those two. This album is made up entirely of ballads, the singer's forté, and this far-sighted idea pays off generously. Her versions of these classics are awash with ingenious invention and her inspired timing is unique. It was an imaginative idea to put the verse of "I've Got A Crush On You" in the middle of the song instead of at the beginning. But that sort of thinking abounds in an album that is destined to become a classic. Miss Kent has the advantage of superior accompaniment, provided by her husband Jim Tomlinson on reeds and by the Dave Newton Trio. --Steve Voce

The New York Native who Resides in England is a Formidable Presence on the Modern Jazz Scene. This is her Fourth Album Exploring the Standards and the Reviews have all Been Sterling. The Emphasis Here is on the Ballads and her Breathy Emphasis and Phrasing Are Nothing Less Than Spectacular and Riveting. Her Vocals Are Not "Dressed Up" Or Enhanced by Studio Technique. What You Get is Pure, Raw Singing Talent that Shines Like a Fine Jewel.

...Dreamsville is a superb addition to an already highly distinguished series of albums by one of the finest intepreters of a song since Ella Fitzgerald.