Barbara Montgomery - Little Sunflower (2002)

Produced by Ms. Montgomery and issued on her own record label, Little Sunflower features nine tantalizing songs, many of them written by the songstress and her longtime pianist and co-writer, Barry Sames, as well as covers of Freddie Hubbard and Duke Pearson tunes with Ms. Montgomery's appendant lyrics. Two songs, "Armando's Rhumba" and "You're Always in My Space" hearken back to Ms. Montgomery's previous album, Dakini Land, a tribute to her friendship and the music of master keyboardist Chick Corea and his wordsmith Neville Potter. The latter song is a premier of a never before recorded work of Mr. Corea's; the former includes lyrics written at the request of Ms. Montgomery and recorded for the first time as well. Ms. Montgomery assembled an empathetic group of musicians and let them stretch out, the result being that the songs seems to fully and organically developed to the point of luxuriation. Tenor saxophonist Chris Farr and hornman John Swana provide the perfect complements to Ms. Montgomery's strong, protean singing and their ample solo spaces are packed with smart harmonic inventions and infectious phrasings. Sames, a sparkling pianist, not only energizes the rhythm section, he also supplies a broad, knowing acccompaniment to Ms. Montgomerythat allows her to confidently ride the groove. Her vocals show that she is an acute expositor of the language of power, coercion, and, ultimately, love. Whether it be with husky declarations or soaring sanctifications, Ms. Montgomery's exquisite vocal gifts and unerring attentivness to a song's dynamics come together here on Little Sunflower. Bluesy, shrewd, seductive, gracious, sentimental--few singers around today can color a song like Barbara Montgomery.