Halie Loren – After Dark (CD, Edition japonaise)
RARITY - Sealed
Halie Loren – vocals
Matt Treder – piano, keyboards, background vocals
Mark Schneider – bass (except tracks 3, 14)
Brian West – drums, percussion (except tracks 3, 14)
Chris Ward – guitars (except tracks 3, 14)
Dale Bradley – cello
Denis Solee – clarinet, whistle
Jack Jezzro – guitar (tracks 3, 14)
Jim Ferguson – bass (track 3)
John Shipe – vocals (track 9)
1 CD, standard sleeve
Original analog Master tape : YES
Stereo
Studio
Label : Victor
Original Label : Victor
Recorded at White Moon Studios (Eugene, OR), Castle Recording Studios (Nashville, TN)
Produced by Halie Loren and Matt Treder
Photography by Sally Sheldon
Originally released in 2010
Reissued in December 2011
Tracks :
- After Dark
- Waters Of March
- Gray To Grand
- La Vie En Rose
- Thirsty
- Bye Bye Blackbird
- Ode To Billie Joe
- Tango Lullaby
- Beyond The Sea
- In A Sentimental Mood
- Happier Than The Morning Sun
- Give Me One Reason
- It's You
- Time To Say Goodbye
- Carey
- I Fall In Love
- My Foolish
Reviews :
“Halie Loren conceives a new style of jazz singer on her fourth album, After Dark. While the lively alto is not averse to putting her own stamp on evergreens like "Bye Bye Blackbird" and "In a Sentimental Mood," her conception also extends to songs borrowed from various branches of the pop/rock era including folk-rock singer/songwriters (Tracy Chapman's "Give Me One Reason" and Joni Mitchell's "Carey"), pop/R&B (Stevie Wonder's "Happier Than the Morning Sun"), and country-pop (Bobbie Gentry's "Ode to Billie Joe"). She is also willing to take on material closely associated with notable interpreters (Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Waters of March," Edith Piaf's "La Vie en Rose"), and to mix in the occasional composition of her own. The package is not as eclectic as all that might make it seem, since Loren sticks to one of two sets of backup musicians, either cutting in her own studio in Eugene, Oregon, with her stage trio (pianist Matt Treder, bassist Mark Schneider, and percussionist Brian West) or outside Nashville with such noted local jazzers as guitarist Jack Jezzro and bassist Jim Ferguson. They find the jazz feel in such seemingly unlikely material as "Ode to Billie Joe," given a bass/drums accompaniment with some sax work by Bryan Cumming, and "Give Me One Reason," which actually is simple enough to provide a platform for improvisation. Throughout, Loren sings with a light touch, even when she's dipping into Portuguese, French, or Italian. When she takes on the classical crossover standard "Time to Say Goodbye," the nominal closing song ("Carey" is billed as a "bonus track"), it has none of the histrionics applied by the likes of Andrea Bocelli. Loren and her musicians never lose sight of their duty to entertain, and that keeps this lengthy, varied set floating along to its conclusion.” AllMusic Review by William Ruhlmann
“Halie Loren was the winner of the Pacific Songwriter Festival in 2005 and has gone on to become one of the finest young jazz singers of her generation. She has both an exquisite musical sense and the talent for phrasing that makes a song come alive. Her new album After Dark (her fifth) was released late in 2010 and reveals a major star in the wings, soon to take centre stage.
Growing up in Southeast Alaska , much of Halie’s diverse music exposure came early-on from listening to everything public radio had to offer and her parent’s eclectic music selections. From her first on-stage jazz performance at the Sitka Fine Arts Camp at age 10, Halie knew music was to play a big role in her life. She later moved to Eugene, Oregon and has been a singer-songwriter since the age of 14 and a full-time musician since winning the Pacific award. She’s in her mid-twenties now and is perhaps more widely known in Japan than she is in North America, a circumstance no doubt arising from the Japanese fondness for jazz American style.
Her voice has been compared (deservedly) to greats like Tori Amos, Sarah McLachlan and Joni Mitchell (whom Halie has covered on more than one occasion, in the past with “River” and currently with “Carey“.).
On her website Halie lists influences as diverse as Bjork, Etta James and Nine Inch Nails.
She has gone from winning the Just Plain Folks Award for Best Jazz Vocal album to becoming a major label artist in Japan (her album They Oughta Write A Song went to #1 on the Amazon Japan charts and stayed in the top-10 for several days). The crowds in Japan have been growing, and would seem to portend the success that in our view is inevitable back home in the States. Loren also released a successful live album, Stages, showing off the line energy that makes her an in-demand performer.
After Dark mixes original and cover tunes and shows a somewhat lighter side of Loren, who is again joined by the capable skills of pianist Matt Treder, bassist Mark Schneider, Chris Ward on guitar and Brian West (percussion), with guest appearances by guitarist Jack Jezzro.” Vivascene Review by Brian Miller
Rating:
AllMusic : 3.5 / 5 ; Discogs : 4.75 / 5