A very talented jazz pianist,
Rachel Z. has always been interested in contemporary pop and rock music.
Grace is a bit of a surprise for, in addition to her piano playing in a trio,
Rachel sings on the majority of the selections. Her voice is expressive but just average and not on the same level as her work on piano. She apparently felt the need to express herself vocally, performing originals with her own lyrics plus songs by
U2,
Kurt Cobain,
Kate Bush,
Björk, and
John Lennon (a spooky version of "Imagine"). Listeners primarily interested in
Rachel's jazz work will still consider most of
Grace of interest because there are many piano solos and good close interplay by the trio even if it is not quite essential. In addition, fans of singer/songwriters who do not mind bits of jazz in their music will find
Rachel to be well worth discovering. ~ Scott Yanow