Patricia Barber
Modern Cool

By Steven R. Rochlin
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Compact Disc Stock Number: PREM-741-2

  Quick witted lyrics with that cool-daddy modern jazz sound. Yep, that's how i'd partially describe this great must-have CD. Patricia Barber's mellow, almost seductive voice and piano playing is backed by a this hep-cat small jazz bass, guitar and drums. Adding in this mix is Dave Douglas on trumpet giving up his short tasty licks as if to help liberate the underground vibe. So what makes this album so righteous?

Of course great music comes first. This easy laid-back sound reminds me of all those great and rare clubs where ingenious free form poetry is backed by an equally creative band. With lyrical poetry in the song "Company" such as:

"For company
I like French philosophy
Deconstructive obscurity
Formalized, canonized, and dignified by the university
I like trendy indecision
Weightless enough to forget
The forgetting of which
Nothing bears repetition
I like an expensive aperitif
If that's what everyone else thinks is neat
For company"

Within the whole groove underlines many great soulful expressions. So smart yet so cool it makes you want to put on your happy head and mellow right out baby. If you can dig this vibe baby then there's no escape other than to play this CD over and over again. You dig? While well recorded and nicely packaged, don't expect ultra-pure crystal clean stripped down audiophile sound. Some music is best enhanced with a little spice like the cinnamon shavings in that special brew whose aroma brings flashbacks of mellow trippy times. Patricia Barber Modern Cool is by far the best hang loose jazz music recorded this decade! A must have!

Enjoyment: 85

Sound Quality: 70