Christine Rosholt - Detour Ahead (2006)

A nice debut from Minneapolis vocalist Christine Rosholt. The format is straightforward vocal jazz, largely covering the American songbook (as vocal jazz is wont to do), but with a few other standards thrown in. With the material being entirely older works, there isn't really room for improvement in composition. Rosholt's sheer vocal abilities become the focus, whether or not she can sell the emotion of a song. In the case of this album, she sells some better than others, ultimately. Her phrasing is excellent throughout, letting the words fall just when they should. Her tone is largely upbeat, which works extremely well for some of the Cole Porter pieces and others. For the more contemplative numbers (such as Jobim and de Moraes' "Chega de Saudade"), it seems a bit incongruent. On the title track, she seems almost Shatner-esque with the phrasing. It's the happier pieces, the more energetic pieces that put Rosholt in her element, and the album is worthwhile just for them with her abilities really.~Adam Greenberg