This Time It's Love Reviews

This Time It's Love, Patty Carpenter's new jazz CD release on epiphany Records, has been receiving air play on:

WMUA, Amherst, MA · WFCR, Amherst, MA · WVPR, Vermont · WHRV, Norfolk, VA · KASU, State University, AR KCME, Colorado Springs, CO · KONP, Port Angeles, WA · WOMR, Provincetown, MA · WRSI, Northampton, MA · WGAM, Greenfield, MA · WRTC, Hartford, CT · WOBO, Cincinnati, OH · KETR, Commerce, TX · WRTU, San Juan, PR · WEMU, Michigan · WRHU, Hempstead, NY · KTXK, Texarkana, TX · KMFB, Mendocino, CA

"Patty Carpenter displays the casual professionalism that one would expect from someone who's worked the woods as a singer. ..She has an approach that clearly lets her shift from style to style without violating the essence of what she does. She knows and loves these songs. She's comfortable with them, and treats them all as good friends, taking them as they are and enlivening them gently. She doesn't bully them with ersatz hipness. She just keeps them company, and that hominess comes through to the listener. Her one original, Across the Square, gets that same treatment, easily fooling the listener into believing this, too, is a standard, albeit one not often heard. In fact, Carpenter so effectively puts her own song across that it is easily the highlight of the session, a song that when it arrives elicits a mental 'ahh.'"

-David Dupont, Cadence Magazine

"Patty Carpenter really knocked me out. Talk about laid back! She has a very warm and inviting voice, and knows how to use it to great effect. The musicians she hangs around with are no slouches either."

-Lenny Mazel, Jazz Director, KCME, Colorado Springs

"Her voice is light and swinging and has a natural haunting quality that helps her put across songs. She mostly stays away from the usual jazz singer's repertoire for fresher stuff like the swooping This Time, a hypnotic reading of All Blues ,and a bluesy original, Across the Square. There's also a Brazilian samba, rocking rhythm and blues, and gospel, all of which Carpenter handles effortlessly in an eclectic and very entertaining session."

-Jerome Wilson, Cadence Magazine

"Patty Carpenter sings with a lot of soul. Evidence of her sensitivity and experience of having lived, rather than merely learned the music, permeates every track of her new CD This Time It's Love. Opening with a relaxed but inspiring rendition of a rarely performed composition by the great songwriter, Jule Styne, Patty gives a sweet taste of her alto voice. This track provides a preview of the superb performance Patty delivers throughout the album, and the kind of laid-back grooves and great intensity that characterizes almost the entire album.. Patty demonstrates her broad range of dynamics, from the whispering articulations on the classic Lover Man to the down home, grinding gut-bucket sounds Patty offers on the slow backbeat rendition of Across the Square and All Blues.. I Thought About You, a beautiful ballad, is one of the highlights of this date...There's about 58 minutes worth of music on this CD and all of it is worth every penny."

--Eric Nemeyer, The Green Mountain Jazz Messenger

As a debut jazz vocal CD, THIS TIME IT'S LOVE will prove a delightful listening experience for jazz audiences. Patty Carpenter has a sensual, sensitive voice that lights up the soul of a song with an intimacy bound to attract listeners to her unique vocal stylings. Each song receives a special treatment from Patty Carpenter that reaches out and touches the audience with pleasure.

There are 9 songs on the CD. Among the fine songs are found "This Time," "Lover Man," "Across the Square" (written by Patty Carpenter), "Black Orpheus," "All Blues," "Ain't Got Nothin But the Blues," "I Thought About You,," "5-10-15," and "I Wish I Knew How it Would Feel to be Free."

There are memorable solo performances by all concerned, and each musician gives enjoyable performances. Patty Carpenter can sing the jazz, and does so with great style. Her vocals of Miles Davis' "All Blues" and Duke Ellington's "Ain't Got Nothin But the Blues" are innovative and true to the spirit of each song. The Jimmy Van Heusen/Johnny Mercer "I Thought About You" is a classic jazz vocal. A gem of a collection, these jazz vocal selections sung by Patty Carpenter will be still playing in homes for years to come! An excellent way to spend an evening!
~Lee Prosser, Jazz Review.com

"I really like Patty Carpenter. She's not a copy of anyone. She has a unique voice that is really appealing."

-Paul Roy, Winthrop Big Band & Jazz Festival

"I was totally knocked out by the vocals. What a voice....I flat out loved it...Patty Carpenter was an epiphany for me."

-Larry Routt, Music Programmer, WOBO, Cincinnati, OH

"What a voice. Carpenter covers Miles Davis and Duke Ellington and weighs in with the original composition Across The Square (for Fritz). The best easy-listening disc of the year. "

-Springfield Union News Top Ten Local Albums

"I am sooooooo glad I opened this packet this afternoon. I have been inundated with half finished CDs, demos, and the usual assortment that creates an apology/rejection slip, and this made the whole day nicer.

I admit being addicted to those old jazz standards, and rarely will anyone get a better chance to enjoy them than when Patty's voice is caressing your ears. Patty has a wonderful voice, soft, silky, slightly smoky, with enough air to inflate my ego on a bad day. What I am saying here, is Wow! Amazing sweet and masterful piano and organ by Tom McClung, great sax work by Scott Shetler, and perfect time/rhythm courtesy of Doug Raneri. And please, don't forget those sweet licks by Draa Hobbs on guitar. From the jazziest, prettiest, lightest licks, to the fattest, fullest chords, I loved every minute of this recording.

If you Love Jazz at it's finest, come on home for Christmas (or any other soft and sensual moment) with Patty's masterpiece."

-Airmusic.com

"Supple jazz vocalist who matches bluesy inflections with a cool tone in a way that compares favorably to Susannah McCorkle. Carpenter's voice is matched by a tasty small jazz group; she's usually her own accompanist (a la Diana Krall or Shirley Horn), but the very fine Tom McClung tinkles the ivories here."

-Nick D. , listen.com

"For her third recording (the previous two, No Regrets andMemories of Love's Refrain, were available only on vinyl and cassette,respectively), New Englander Carpenter showcases a flexible, supple, sweet, at times bluesy voice that is childlike, full of fascination and wonder about the world at large... She really shines
on "I Ain't Got Nothin' But the Blues..." "Black Orpheus" is done nicely in Portugese and English, while the near-ten-minute funky groove biscuit "5-10-15" shows a more R&B-influenced side. Scott Shetler (playing tenor, baritone, clarinet, etc.) and pianist Tom McClung are excellent soloists and supportive accompanists."

-Michael G. Nastos getmusic.com

"A vocalist of obvious talent, Ms. Carpenter can crinkle her warbly voice into a good approximation of Billie Holiday cynicism or let fly with a clearer tone to cut through all manner of barroom haze."

-Dave Reitzes, March 2001

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