Dena DeRose - I Can See Clearly Now (2000)

There are times when you listen to this recording and, if you close your eyes, you would think you were listening to Susannah McCorkle. That is how powerful Dena DeRose can be. For this, her third release for Sharp Nine Records, the vocalist continues to dazzle with her sensuous voice and confident style. Once again, she assembles a strong team to accompany her, including drummer Matt Wilson, vibist Joe Locke, and Jim Rotundi (on a couple of tracks). When DeRose is at her best (as she is on several tracks), she is as good a singer as there is. Her "Day in Day Out," taken up-tempo, hearkens to the great vocalists of years past. DeRose gets inside the lyrics, and with a slight vibrato to end her phrases and a luxurious tone, she can be absolutely commanding. Perhaps because she was first a jazz pianist and only became a vocalist afterwards, her phrasing as a singer is immaculate. Her strong piano soloing is a pleasure, too. There are a couple of numbers not quite up to snuff, but overall, DeRose is a singer who packs a bang, and this CD is further evidence of her development.