Deanna Storey - Sometimes I'm Happy (2002)

Jazz Times Review (May 2003) by Christopher Loudon"I've said it before and I'll say it again. There's something in the Seattle air that does wonders for female vocalists. The latest addition to the Northwest's phalanx of splendid songbirds is Deanna Storey. In the liner notes for Storey's Sometimes I'm Happy (I'm so Pretty), brilliantly quirky screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (of Being John Malkovich and Adaptation fame) likens her to a 1940s torch singer. He's off by about a decade. Storey's sound is solidly mid-'50s, combining the rhythmic power and purity of Doris Day with the thundering energy of Rosemary Clooney and carefree sway of Keely Smith. Working with bassist Michael Zisman (who doubled as the album's producer and arranger, with help from pianist Dena DeRose), Storey navigates 11 standards with lipstick-smeared maturity. Her "Angel Eyes" is the sort of bold, been-there-done-that interpretation you'd expect from a non-nonsense dame like Gunsmoke's Miss Kitty. Likewise, her bluesy, "You Don't Know What Love Is" is obviously the work of a woman who knows where her next T-bone is coming from. Two brooding ballads--"When Sunny Gets Blue" and "Where Are You"--are refitted as uptempo larks, complete with bump-and-grind arrangements worthy of Hef's Playboy Club circa 1960. To round out this distinctly saucy affair, Storey connects with her inner kitten, unraveling the title track in pouty Ann-Margaret style, then meandering through a "Can't Get Out Of This Mood" that's as teasingly transparent as a filmy negligee. Somewhere Julie London is smiling.

Deanna Storey - Little Person

1. Sometimes I'm Happy
2. On the Street Where You Live
3. I Thought About You
4. I'm Glad There Is You
5. You Don't Know What Love Is
6. When Sunny Gets Blue
7. Too Close For Comfort
8. Where Are You
9. Angel Eyes
10. Can't Get Out of This Mood
11. Sometimes I'm Happy (Take 2)
12. Love Me or Leave Me


Generally one can get a feel for how adaptable a jazz singer can be by just tracking where she or he has appeared. Deanna Storey migrated to NYC from Seattle (in recent years, it's usually been the opposite direction). In any event, she has appeared at such Big Apple cabaret rooms as Don't Tell Mama's, The Algonquin and Danny's Skylight Room, all tried and true cabaret venues. Lately she has been appearing at locations which tend to lean more toward jazz than the more stylized cabaret format. . This her latest album takes the second route, delivering on a set of classic jazz standards loaded with jazz statements. The passion and heat of torch had been "You Don't Know What Love Is". Strong and unequivocal statements have also been added by the modern sounding alto of Andrew Speight. His long solo on this cut is one of the album's high spots. Storey also uses her significant swinging and scat skills on "Sometimes I'm Happy". (The other version of this tune on the CD is given a Samba kick.) Being an equal opportunity employer, Storey gives plenty of room for the rhythm section to stretch out, especially the bass opening by Michael Zisman, and the piano of Matthew Clark throughout.

The level of enjoyment one experiences in hearing a CD, especially a vocal, is closely related to one's expectations . If you're looking for Fitzgerald or Abbey Lincoln every time out, then the return on the listening investment can be small. But if sights are lowered slightly, then there is a rich lode of music waiting out there to be appreciated. This is the case with Storey. No Billie Holiday, but very good in her own way. With an instinctive sense of phrasing, pitch and rhythm, whether it be an upbeat or ballad, she gives each tune its full due with a very rewarding result.


Personnel: Deanna Storey - Vocals; Matthew Clark - Piano; Michael Zisman - Bass; Akira TanaAndrew Speight - Alto Sax - Drums .

Sometimes I'm Happy : PART1 * PART2 * PART3 * PART4