Stages

If you’re a Halie Loren fan, you’re ahead of me. I’d never heard of her before this CD turned up in my mailbox, but I’m extremely happy to have made her acquaintance. She’s got a richly nuanced jazz voice that can deliver a sense of fun or a sense of sorrow with equal authority. She’s supported by a great jazz quartet (Matt Treder on keyboards, Mark Schneider on bass, Brian West on drums and Tim McLaughlin on trumpet), and these guys are in solid synch with Loren’s moods and shadings. Originally released in 2010, and re-released now with two extra cuts, the album was recorded live at gigs in Japan and on the Oregon coast, small venues that allow those of us who hear these songs digitally to feel the intimacy of those performances. “Danger in Loving You” is a terrific first cut, a Loren original, her voice backed by rinky-tink piano that echoes the sentiments in the lyrics. Her version of “Cry Me a River” could stand with any I’ve ever heard of that widely covered old standard, and her treatment of “Love Me Like a River Does,” the Melody Gardot song, is a solid winner. It’s an interesting and eclectic set of live songs. Should you listen to it in your car, it’ll ease your way on down the road.