Softly (Roseanna Vitro album)
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| Softly | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | December 14, 1993 [1] | |||
| Recorded | Skyline Studios, New York, N.Y.[2] | |||
| Genre | Vocal jazz | |||
| Length | 60:30 [3] | |||
| Label | Concord Jazz CCD-4587 [4] | |||
| Producer | Paul Wickliffe [4] | |||
| Roseanna Vitro chronology | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [3] |
| Los Angeles Times |  [5] |
| Washington Post | favorable [6] |
| External audio | |
|---|---|
 You may listen to "I Ain't Got Nothin' But the Blues" here |
Softly is the fourth album by jazz singer Roseanna Vitro, released in December 1993 on the Concord Jazz label.
AllMusic awarded the album 4½ stars, with reviewer Scott Yanow citing Vitro's proficiency with both lyrics and improvisation, as well as the strong support lent by pianist Fred Hersch and saxophonists Tim Ries and George Coleman.[3]
The album fared well in contemporaneous reviews as well. The Los Angeles Times awarded three stars out of 4, with critic Leonard Feather commending Vitro's delivery, choice of material, and affinity for Brazilian music, although taking issue with a couple of the tempos selected – in particular, for "Softly As in a Morning Sunrise" ("tackled swiftly, as in an evening rush hour.")[5] The Washington Post's Mike Joyce expressed no such reservations, citing the album's combination of "[c]hoice songs, distinctive interpretations, [and] sensitive musicianship":
"Falling in Love With Love," the opening track, readily reveals Vitro's gifts as a vocalist. She shapes phrases like a horn player, infusing some words with rhythmic vitality and softly attenuating others, while never losing sight of the composer's intentions. As the album unfolds. Vitro continues in the same vein, elegantly balancing jazz liberties with uncomplicated storytelling and lessons learned the hard way.[6]