Lisa B. – What’s New Pussycat?
Lisa B.
What’s New Pussycat?
(POP – 2006)
by Paula Edelstein
For all you cat lovers out there, here’s the perfect tribute to your mellow feline friend(s). Lisa Bernstein (aka Lisa B.) sings a great set that delivers a view into the nine lives and times of a jazz cat. Opening with Burt Bacharach’s “What’s New Pussycat?” she sets the tone and backstory of 10 new songs. Lisa’s voice is flexible and harmonious, beautifully altering between the highs and lows of her sympatico range.
With percussive expressions by John Santos, Lisa deftly expresses the slinky allure of the cha, cha, cha with “Kitty Cat Cha” and does a full rework of Cole Porter’s “Night and Day” by inserting her magical original spoken word arrangement of “The Cat Goddess” in the middle of the song. No wonder several ancient civilizations worshipped the cat! Ditto for her arrangment of Porter’s “You’d Be So Nice To Come Home.” Here Lisa B. creates a fresh take on the harmonies and textures of Porter’s lyrics, once again showing that music is so subjective, the interpretation can be just about anything your mind can imagine.
It was surprising that none of the music from the Broadway musical CATS appeared on this recording, but cie la vie. Lisa B. does it her way, scats about cats and makes it a hip listen!
Reprinted with permission of…
