Black Coffee by Susan May

13 Jul

Written by Richard Bourcier
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Many folks have their ears and eyes directed to Chicago's sassy young jazz chanteuse. Susan May entered the recording studio at the tender age of eleven. The result was her acclaimed 2004 release The Rose.

The youthful, jazz oriented singer was back in the studio at thirteen to cut her new album titled Black Coffee. It's a challenge to deliver convincing versions of songs that will forever be associated with great vocalists like Peggy Lee (Black Coffee), Jane Froman (With A Song In My Heart) and Ruth Etting (Love Me Or Leave Me) but May is a most capable interpreter of the time-honored standards.

Coached by the renowned Dr. Karen Wicklund and jazz pianist Bobby Schiff, Susan May continues to impress audiences and critics alike. This writer loved the singer's fine delivery of "Since I Fell For You." The song is, anything but easy, for the most seasoned veterans. Penned by bandleader Buddy Johnson and introduced in 1945, by his sister Ella, "Since I Fell For You" has become a jazz standard.

The songstress exhibits vocal control, far beyond her years, with her reading of "Come Rain Or Come Shine" and "The Sweetheart Tree." The latter is performed solely with Schiff's piano accompaniment. Other tracks feature some of Chicago's jazz musicians. Trumpeter, Bobby Lewis, offers sympathetic passages on "Willow Weep For Me" and "The Very Thought Of You" among others. Guitarist, Scott Reed, is especially notable on May's six-minute rendition of "I Will Wait For You."

This young Chicagoan is a bundle of talent and she continues to climb the stairway to stardom.

Additional Info

Artist / Group Name: Susan May
CD Title: Black Coffee
Genre: Jazz Vocals
Year Released: 2005
Record Label: Southport
Tracks: Love Me Or Leave Me, With A Song In My Heart, Black Coffee, The Very Thought Of You, The Best Things In Life Are Free, Since I Fell For You, A Ship Without A Sail, Come Rain Or Come Shine, The Sweetheart Tree, Willow Weep For Me, I Will Wait For You
Musicians: Susan May (vocals), Bobby Schiff (piano), Scott Reed (guitar), Jim Cox (bass), Chris Clemente (electric bass), Bobby Lewis (trumpet, flugelhorn), Leon Joyce, Rick Vitek (drums)
Label Website: http://www.chicagosound.com
Rating: Three Stars