Out of This World

For her third album, Boston-based jazz vocalist Patricia Adams continues the practice she started in previous releases by addressing a play list of mostly tried and true standards peppered with a few lesser-known tunes. But whatever category the song falls in, it gets the full Adams treatment with her husky voice, excellent phrasing, good diction, and lyrical sensitivity, all with various doses of the blues. An added fillip to this album is the presence of guest artists Jimmy Hill and Kenny Wenzel to augment her regular quartet. As on her previous endeavors, she keeps her sidemen happy by allowing them plenty of opportunity to express themselves. Wenzel takes full advantage of that chance with a fine solo on "Come Rain or Come Shine," which turns into a major production with the group sounding much larger than it is. Adams never allows herself or the program to fall into a rut. The gospel/R&B-like "Corner of the Sky," with Doug Hammer on keyboards and the fancy fluting of Wenzel, comes right on the heels of a heartfelt ballad rendition of "Moonlight in Vermont," which in turn is followed by a saloon treatment of "Can't We Be Friends." Her ability to put together a musical road atlas sets Adams apart from many of the jazz vocalists on the contemporary scene. One of the more inventive arrangements is the one for "Don't Explain," which is given a processional feel with Stanley Swann's drums thumping out the promenade rhythms underneath both Adams' solemn singing and Hammer's baroque-like piano. Each of Adams' recorded efforts is a happening because of its unusual arrangements of well-known material, and this one continues right on down that road. Recommended.