Living in a Daydream by Cathi Walkup

I had a bit of a deja vu listening to this album because Cathi Walkup's voice reminds me a lot of a friend of mine, singer Arlene Smith. I know Arlene loves Carmen McRae, which maybe explains something. (Note to self: I must do a proper blindfold test and see if it is really true.) Anyway, after that initial eerieness, Cathi came into focus as herself for me. She performs a lot of original material and also writes excellent, hip lyrics to songs by her band members and as well as jazz classics like Monk's Reflections.

She's got a warm voice that hangs in with the musical unit, a real part of the band. The originals are my favourites here, most of those uptempo tunes that swing effortlessly. I particularly enjoy the opening track "Little Suzie's Humming" - the world needs more tunes about pajama parties! She's a talented singer and lyricist, with a natural ability to blend words and music that makes for a fascinating repertoire.

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