When you think back to some of the “greats” in jazz history, several of the superstars are women. Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Etta Jones—these women were, and still are, considered among the elite of the jazz world.
With her latest album, Homefree, Nnenna Freelon makes it clear that she’s well on her way to being regarded as in the same league as those old-school jazz queens.
Taken just at surface-level, Freelon has an aesthetically pleasing voice—it’s as smooth as silk, and it has a gorgeous warm tone to it. Listening deeper, one hears in Freelon the qualities that set her jazz predecessors in stone as stars.
When Freelon sings, she oozes the same class, confidence, and undeniable “cool factor” that characterized the leading ladies of jazz. At the same time, however, it never feels as though Freelon is trying to imitate those artists or be a throwback to an age gone by. Instead, it’s more as though she channeled the artists, and then used their inspiration to take a standard and make it her own.
This is especially evident, seeing as almost all of the tracks on Homefree are covers of classic songs. Despite the fact that the songs have been done before, Freelon makes them feel fresh and modern. She embraces the tradition of the songs, yet brilliantly adds her own touch to them. The result is pure gold.
Freelon is an incredibly talented artist. She has a voice that can easily stand on its own, but there is also an attitude that comes across in her music. That attitude is one of a woman who is completely comfortable in her skin, and has used that personal maturity to achieve an artistic maturity to match. That’s something that no record company can teach, and something that can’t be faked.
Nnenna Freelon is the real deal, and from beginning to end Homefree is a fantastic album. Billie, Ella, Peggy and Etta would be proud to call Freelon one of their own.
Key Tracks: I Feel Pretty, Smile, Cell Phone Blues
July 27, 2010
