"Back Home is, simply put, one of the finest jazz vocal efforts that I have heard this year. Sue Tucker's voice fits the material like an old lace glove. It is straightforward, husky and warm, with touches of Billie Holiday's world wisdom and Blossom Dearie's playfulness, around the edges.  Sue Tucker is what Norah Jones should hope to sound like, as Ms. Jones matures.  Ms. Tucker has also selected tunes that complement her voice and the concept.  Usually on a collection such as this, I will find myself saying "maybe this wasn't a good idea" about at least one of the tracks.  I honestly cannot say that about any of the choices here."
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Sue Tucker has a bit of a Susannah McCorkle-ish lilt to her voice and manages once again to make the music come alive.

The well-trodden Strayhorn/Ellington tune “Just A-Sittin' And A-Rockin'” opens the album in a midtempo pace, and Tucker smartly rides it along with Taylor. The Benny Goodman/Edgar Sampson piece “Lullaby in Rhythm” remains an untouched jazz vocal on contemporary recordings. The lyrics to Benny Golson's ”Whisper Not” and Benny Carter's “When Lights Are Low,” by Spencer Williams, make a solid choice for the singer, complemented by an arco solo from Raynor. Raynor also begins the Dorothy Fields/Jimmy McHugh standard ”Exactly Like You” with a bass intro and then a duet with Tucker. Saunders takes a tasty guitar solo on the break.
On the Leo Robin/Jule Styne tune “Bye Bye Baby,” Tucker begins with the sweetly voiced verse and then shifts into a swing tempo, with Kent Saunders taking a burning solo on guitar. On Victor Young's “Beautiful Love,” a tune long associated with Bill Evans, Tucker chooses a rarely tackled vocal with some assistance from Santiago. The album concludes with a touching and effective ballad, a Broadway tune from Martin and Leonard, “Why Did I Choose You.”
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Up until now, I had been knocked out this year by three women, all 
relatively unknown, and on small, independent labels, 
who had delivered exceptional work: Sandy Sasso, 
Sue Tucker, and the recently Grammy-nominated 
Roberta Gambarini.
                            Read more...
                        

                            
Up until now, I had been knocked out this year by three women, all 
relatively unknown, and on small, independent labels, 
who had delivered exceptional work: Sandy Sasso, 
Sue Tucker, and the recently Grammy-nominated 
Roberta Gambarini.
                            Read more...