great album keep up the good work
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Inspired most by the musical men in her life – tenor saxophonist/mentor Von Freeman, and bassist, producer and husband Chuck Webb – vocalist Margaret Murphy has finally delivered her first “baby” and named her “In Full Bloom.”
This 10-song collection celebrates everything from traditional New Orleans feel and flavor to romantic tales that, as the leader learned from “Vonski,” “tell a story with a song.”  “In Full Bloom’s” strength is that it offers solid substance for the “jazz purists” and rhythm and blues fans.  The festivities begin with Webb’s walking bass line that soon segues into Murphy’s voice – a dusky, controlled instrument that reveals an excitement that is always controlled –on the Fats Domino standard “I’m Walkin.’ ”  Here, drummer Charles Heath and pianist Miguel De La Cerna ably add to the song’s bright, bouncy tempo, which serves as the leader’s call for everyone to drop the stress while she’s at the mic.  Guitarist Peter Lerner then joins the party and helps Murphy introduce “Misty.”  After Murphy’s interpretation – tender and deliberate at first, before leaping out with understated urgency – Lerner delivers a tasteful solo that organist Michael Logan then follows seamlessly.  Murphy and Lerner conclude “Misty” by returning to the top, where the leader emphasizes “I’m in love” with a simplicity that reveals nothing but sincerity.  Murphy and friends then embrace “I Got My Mojo Workin’. ”  A duet, of sorts, between drummer Khari Parker’s second-line, New Orleans-acknowledging rhythms and Murphy’s voice makes this the most enjoyable, accessible sound from this first “baby.”  Murphy later applies her interpretation to “Pearls,” co-written by Sade Adu and Andrew Hale.  Here, Murphy’s voice is accompanied by Webb’s electric bass.  As Murphy’s voice paints a portrait about a lone/lonely woman “dying to survive,” Webb offers support that complements the song’s ethereal, poignant atmosphere.  With one word, “Hallelujah,” Murphy sustains the closure for this song, which serves as the album’s best feature for her voice and emotional range.  or “Stolen Moments,” Murphy is joined by fellow vocalist Carolyn Whitfield.  The two songstresses share and show their respective ranges, with Whitfield’s higher-pitched (but not high-pitched) range blending with, not below, Murphy’s slightly deeper delivery.  Murphy begins “Can’t Help Lovin’ That Man of Mine,” the album’s closer, a cappella.  She is soon joined by Logan, whose ability to support the song’s space and singer’s pacing within that space, reveals her true desire to please that man…and us as well.  With “In Full Bloom,” Margaret Murphy has indeed heard and fulfilled Vonski’s two-word command to her and everyone who ever entered his musical laboratory, wherever it may be: “Express yourself.”  Twenty-plus years later, this student has recorded a CD that shows she has listened, learned, and expressed everything from the heart.
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Margaret's voice resonates with her passion to create her own rendition of old favorites. Her album is sexy, enchanting making you thirst for more of her sultry voice.
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EXCELLENT CD...DON'T TAKE MY WORD... GO AND GET IT FOR YOURSELF YOU WILL BE GLAD YOU DID!!!!!!
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