Donna Lewis: Brand New Day

It’s often interesting when a pop performer changes tack. Twenty years ago the Welsh singer Donna Lewis’s ‘I Love You Always Forever’ was a worldwide hit and she’s now making inroads into the jazz scene. She’s in very good company, as the core of this disc’s group, King, Anderson and Iverson, are from American band The Bad Plus and are well-known for blending elements of pop and rock.

Our rating

4

Published: May 15, 2017 at 10:31 am

COMPOSERS: Various composers
LABELS: Whirlwind Recordings
ALBUM TITLE: Donna Lewis
WORKS: Brand New Day
PERFORMER: Donna Lewis (vocals), David King (drums), Reid Anderson (bass), Ethan Iverson (piano), Ron Affif (guitar) etc
CATALOGUE NO: WR4688

It’s often interesting when a pop performer changes tack. Twenty years ago the Welsh singer Donna Lewis’s ‘I Love You Always Forever’ was a worldwide hit and she’s now making inroads into the jazz scene. She’s in very good company, as the core of this disc’s group, King, Anderson and Iverson, are from American band The Bad Plus and are well-known for blending elements of pop and rock. Here, Lewis breathes new life into her own hit, in a downtempo version, her voice floating with wistful emotion over the core trio’s beautifully restrained accompaniment. This sits well among a refreshing batch of cover versions, ranging from Neil Young to Burt Bacharach. Her vocal style is lilting and deeply reflective and a highlight is Nilsson’s ‘Everybody’s Talkin’’, with each emotion framed perfectly by the whole group over the pattering rhythm.

Neil McKim

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