Kevin Mahogany
Big Band
(Lightyear – 2005)
by John Thompson
“Nature unleashes a gale force voice” is the quote from the New York Times regarding this new release from vocalist Mahogany. Well, his voice has never been in question; however, this particular audio recording is.
While the various arrangements of the well known covers vary in style from the originals, I found myself questioning whether the piano sound on some of the tracks was synthesized or real. The same holds true for some of the drum and bass sounds. A voice as rich and compelling as Mahogany’s deserves real accompaniment from real players that are feeling the groove he is laying down.
Kevin is one of the best jazz singers around, Roy Hargrove makes an appearance in the release, and there are two or three big bands playing throughout the disc. Still, this one didn’t do it for me. 2 stars.