Sheila Jordan

Some recordings capture more than just a musical performance. Sometimes they catch the "vibe," the feeling in the room when the music was happening. Put Winter Sunshine in your CD player and you can feel Jordan's personal warmth thawing out a frozen February audience at Montreal's prestigious Upstairs club. Jordan's humour shines through in her chatty intros and between tune repartee. Standards like "I Remember You" and "Lady Be Good" are sung with an effortless freedom and studied absence of gestural cliché (aspiring vocalists, take note). Her ability to bend notes and make them do her bidding is a marvel to behold. Pianist Steve Amirault and drummer André White do their accompanying with taste and empathy, and bassist Kieran Overs imbues the proceedings with rich, round tones and smart lines. Produced on a cold winter night, Winter Sunshine will make your frosty evening cocooning that much warmer.