Love Makes The Changes
Ernestine Anderson
(HighNote – 2003)
by Carmen Miller
Wine, cheese, cognac, Ernestine Anderson … some things just get better with age. With the release of her new CD she demonstrates once again that her special jazz-blues style has an enormous appeal. From the opening Wonder Why you can see that she’s still got her chops. Anderson cruises through standards like Nightlife and It’s Easy To Remember but the real treat is yet to come… On The Sunny Side Of The Street is simply a dream. Her take on this classic is lively and soulful and the band makes it all the better.
But remember that Ernestine’s motto is “Jazz and blues with a touch of class”, so there’s going to be a blues element somewhere. Well… she gets down and dirty with So Long and Bargain Day, both performances done in a masterful and gutty style. The title song Love Makes The Changes would make composer Michel LeGrande proud as she pours her heart and soul out to you about life and lost love. This woman has been singing since the 50’s and she’s never been in better form.