Renee Olstead - Skylark

From the first note of "Midnight Man" to the last bar of "Nothing But the Blame" the listener is transported back in time to an era of Bogart, bourbon and velvet.

Her voice is silky smooth on romantic love ballads such as "Hold Me Now" and Nat King Cole's "When I Fall In Love". She also shifts easily into energetic and upbeat numbers like "Midnight In Austin Texas" and a sassy rendition of Ray Charles' swinging "Hit The Road Jack". So she fancies herself as much a rebel rousing party girl as a sweet song siren?

Not quite. Olstead predominantly pays homage to Great American Songbook interpreters who have come before her like Billie Holiday, Nina Simone and Natalie Cole. Intimidating as it may seem to cover such timeless material she does it with signature panache, style and of course that gorgeous voice. Her rendition of "My Baby Just Cares For Me", the classic popularised by Nina Simone, has a real Broadway show tune quality and flair. From there, she glides down a notch into the simply intoxicating "When I Fall In Love" (with trumpeter Chris Botti), her words sensuously sliding out as they articulate every woman’s wistful dream.

The original work co-written with standards pop svengali David Foster shows she has talent to create as well as interpret. The mellow and light "Hold Me Now" especially, stands out, showcasing Olstead's ability to linger over the phrasing of her lyrics to draw you into her musical landscape. In a more blues bent tradition comes "Midnight In Austin Texas", a freewheeling swing collaboration with top slide guitarist Robert Randolph that evokes one of those boozy bar top dancing roadhouse scenes.