Irish-Canadian vocalist Theresia Bothe grew up in Mexico. Guitarist/vocalist
Peter Croton is a U.S. native who was trained in Boston, at the Oberlin Conservatory, and has won awards all over North America during his travels. Both live in Switzerland, and while all of these facts may account for the folk/pop/jazz mix you hear on this recording, it does not tell the complete story. While heavier on the folk/pop component, there's a sweetness and light to the original material heard throughout. Bothe is distinctively Irish in her vocal style, rolling r's and brandishing the clipped, bold, and bright bonnie tones associated with Celtic singing.
Croton is similar to
Gordon Lightfoot vocally, while on the guitar his approach is fairly basic within the folk tradition, though at times it's clear he's heard his share of the mellower side of
Kenny Burrell. The most surprising ideas, though much less traditionally mainstream jazz than one might think, are the tributes to
Langston Hughes and
Billie Holiday. The duo play a waltz homage to the legendary poet "On the Death of Langston Hughes," while the sad "Song for Billie Holiday" is also in 3/4 time. A New Orleans shuffle in a quartet setting shows the best improvisation and swing during "Life Is Fine" as sung by
Croton, Bothe's feature on the lullaby "Song to a Sleeping Child" is the most tender tune of the date, and during the rock oriented song of departure "You're Running Away Again," both sing in harmony for the only instance on the CD. The remainder of the program leans to folk, especially
Croton's impressive acoustic guitar fingerstyle triplet forms on "Land of Dreams" with a more ethereal Bothe, while "Just Another Shoulder to Lean On" markedly molds the swing and pop shells into a unified whole. An unusual project, not unique or unprecedented by any means, it is a pleasant effort appealing to a specific audience who might concurrently enjoy
Peter, Paul and Mary, and perhaps
John Martyn or
Joe Pass. ~ Michael G. Nastos