Katrine Madsen - Supernatural Love (2006)

Possessing a smoky, somewhat soulful voice, Katrine Madsen is likely to be a new name to jazz fans in North America, though she evidently has been active on the European jazz scene for an extended period. This session starts off with two missteps, a dreary interpretation of the Beatles' "I'll Keep You Satisfied" (though guitarist Ulf Wakenius' fluid licks are enjoyable) and the drippy pop original "Supernatural Love" (sung as a duet with Caecile Norby). Things start improving when she switches gears in an intimate setting of "Come a Little Closer" with pianist Henrik Gunde Pedersen and trumpeter Peter Asplund providing her sole accompaniment, then bringing in the rhythm section as she segues into "Lost in His Arms." But the unevenness returns with a dull, funky treatment of the Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love" and a monotonous "All or Nothing at All" that is plagued by an uninspired arrangement. While bassist Jesper Bodilsen's chart of "Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise" is intense, it abandons too much of its core melody, becoming a generic solo vehicle for Wakenius. It's quickly apparent that Katrine Madsen is interested in a wide variety of music, but her choice of material and occasionally odd charts may be too spread out for jazz fans to sit through the entire disc.