Like
Dianne Reeves and
Vanessa Rubin,
Denise King is an appealing example of a jazz vocalist who hasn't escaped the influence of the R&B she grew up listening to. Elements of
Marlena Shaw,
Sarah Vaughan and Nancy Wilson, and an awareness of soul singing serve the charismatic Philadelphian well on
Simply Mellow, her third album.
King is in excellent form on swinging interpretations of standards like "East of the Sun," "Just Friends" and
Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Wave," and she pleasantly surprises us by turning two early-'60s soul/pop classics -- the
Shirelles' "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" and
Ruby & the Romantics' "Our Day Will Come" -- into acoustic jazz. Other high points of this very accessible CD (which she produced with pianist
Orrin Evans) range from a lively version of
Muddy Waters' "Got My Mojo Working" and a charming take on
Stephen Sondheim's "Send in the Clowns" to a sparse arrangement of
Duke Ellington's "Caravan."
Simply Mellow, which came out when
King was 43, made her supporters in Philly wish that she were better known nationally.