Alexis Cole

Alexis Cole with One For All – You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To (2010) [Japan 2015]
SACD Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 56:07 minutes | Front/Rear Covers | 2,28 GB
or DSD64 2.0 (from SACD-ISO to Tracks.dsf) > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | Front/Rear Covers | 2,25 GB
or FLAC (carefully converted & encoded to tracks) 24bit/96 kHz | Front/Rear Covers | 1,34 GB

Vocalist Alexis Cole hasn’t found a setting or theme that doesn’t suit her. Since arriving on the scene near the turn of the century she’s covered a tremendous amount of ground and delivered a good number of well-conceived and beautifully executed albums. You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To finds Cole joining forces with hard bop-leaning sextet One For All. Together, they charm with a program of tried-and-true classics laced with individualistic sentiments. In “Golden Earrings” we’re given bright swing and real heat as Cole tells and sells the tale. Trumpeter Jim Rotondi circles around her with muted obbligato work, and a number of soloists—trombonist Steve Davis, tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, and pianist David Hazeltine—take the baton and run with it. Then there’s an unusually sly “I Will Wait For You” that leaves just a hint of doubt in its tone, a “Moon River” stripped of cloying sentiments and recast as a 4/4 swinger, and a “Cry Me A River” elevated through Cole’s world-wise delivery. All of those numbers indicate that nobody involved with this album is content with delivering cookie-cutter performances. Every one of these songs is shaped in a way that makes them hard to let go of, but each is also followed by something taken happily as a replacement. For example, an “Alone Together” propelled by Joe Farnsworth’s drumming and enlivened by horn interjections behind and around the vocals leads to a take of “A Beautiful Friendship” with a million dollar rhythmic feel and an endearing atmosphere. Then that leads to an “All The Things You Are” with a few Latin mini-detours and notable contributions from bassist John Webber and that brings the listener to a “So In Love” toying with the oh-so-complicated nature surrounding the titular four-letter word. It’s only in the album’s conclusion that the ears are finally left without a suitable follow-up. Alexis Cole and One For All somehow manage to leave us completely satisfied while also wanting more. That’s the mark of a fine album, and that’s proof that this one is most certainly nice to come home to.

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Alexis Cole – Someday My Prince Will Come (2009) [Japan 2016]
SACD Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 52:38 minutes | Front/Rear Covers | 2,14 GB
or DSD64 2.0 (from SACD-ISO to Tracks.dsf) > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | Front/Rear Covers | 2,11 GB
or FLAC (carefully converted & encoded to tracks) 24bit/48 kHz | Front/Rear Covers | 646 MB

With a voice praised as “a deep contralto as smooth and dark as the richest espresso”, award-winning jazz vocalist Alexis Cole has made an impressive impact on audiences ever since she first took the stage as a teenager. Called “one of the great voices of today”, Alexis Cole has been compared to classic jazz singers such as Sarah Vaughan and Anita O’Day. Her luxurious voice and innovative interpretations make her an instant favorite with audiences of all ages. Cole is the recipient of a Swing Journal Gold Disk award, and has won the NY Jazzmobile and Montreux Jazz Festival vocal competitions. “Someday My Prince Will Come” is her first album for Japanese Venus Records.

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Alexis Cole – Close Your Eyes (2014) [Japan]
Alexis Cole – Close Your Eyes (2014) [Venus Japan # VHGD-24]
SACD Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 60:20 minutes | Front/Rear Covers | 2,43 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Front/Rear Covers | 1,25 GB

A beautifully arranged collection of classics from the American Songbook. Alexis Cole’s voice is one of a kind, mysterious and seductive. The solos are great… melodic, breezy and moving. All the solos on the album provide a wonderful compliment to the experience. Perfect for a romantic evening for two. Just beautiful.

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Alexis Cole – A Kiss In The Dark (2014) {Binaural+ Stereo Recording}
DSD128 (.dsf) 1 bit/5,6 MHz | Time – 53:31 minutes | 3,05 GB
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 53:32 minutes | 2,12 GB
Genre: Jazz | Studio Master, Official Digital Download | Artwork: Digital booklet | @ Chesky Records

Called “one of the great voices of today”, Alexis Cole has been compared to classic jazz singers such as Sarah Vaughan and Anita O’Day. Her luxurious voice and innovative interpretations make her an instant favorite with audiences of all ages. Cole is the recipient of a Swing Journal Gold Disk award, and has won the NY Jazzmobile and Montreux Jazz Festival vocal competitions…

(more…)