Lady Forté
You and Me

Review By Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck
Click here to e-mail reviewer

  Forté Carter is the author of a classic jazz-pop vocal style. In the manner of legendary vocalists such as Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan, she gives her golden vocal chords a tasteful workout with a solid new album titled You and Me. I think covering time-tested standards was a very good idea for Lady Forté. Her voice is well suited for these great tunes. Her rendition of "G-d Bless The Child" is gorgeous and heartfelt every step of the way. "Lola" is my favorite tune on the album. She sounds so sultry and in command. You will be a believer once you hear the song that Lola always gets what she wants so does Ms. Carter evidently. She hits some incredibly high notes during the course of this recording. If you can remember the old Memorex commercial where Ella Fitzgerald breaks a wine glass with her amazingly high ranges, then you can understand the kind of range you will hear repeatedly on this CD.

Just as there is a great woman behind any great man, there is a great band behind any great singer. There is no exception to that rule here. The Carter orchestra featuring Arc Sano (piano) provides the superb accompaniment for the lady on every track. You may say that this is yet another cover CD and you have heard all of these songs hundreds of times -- well it is not your typical album. Think for a minute how beautiful and meaningful all of these songs are. If performed properly they always sound so wonderful no matter how many times you hear them. All of the songs receive the most care and excellence by this talented vocalist.

With beautiful music and vocals, this is a real slice of the divine for you to absorb, body and soul. If you like quality music and a songbird that does each individual track the justice it deserves, wait until you hear this album, it will knock your socks off.

Enjoyment:

Sound Quality: