Nightcap

Album Review

Over the course of seven previous recordings, while establishing herself as a premier adult contemporary singer/songwriter, Marilyn Scott has carried on a quiet but steady love affair with the Great American Songbook. Her rendition of "The Look of Love" (from 1998's Avenues of Love) earned producer George Duke a Grammy nomination for Best Arrangement with vocals. Earlier recordings feature stunning versions of the classics "Let Me Be the One," "The Summer Knows," and "You Don't Know Me." On this much too short but still very satisfying collection, Scott's flirtation with pop standards evolves beautifully into a life-changing romance with the help of some of Los Angeles' most acclaimed studio musicians and jazz performers — Brandon Fields (sax), Rick Baptist (trumpet), Ray Fuller (guitar), Brian Bromberg (upright bass), Dan Higgins (flute), Brazilian guitarist Dori Caymmi, and Vinnie Colaiuta (drums). Nightcap also marks the first time that frequent collaborator Duke has produced and arranged an entire Scott recording. The choices are inspired, from the coolly swinging Brazilian romance of "I Wished on the Moon" (from the Billie Holiday catalog) to the tender trio arrangement of "Smile" and understated poetry of "Stardust" (featuring Duke on piano and Rhodes). Scott skips through a nice variety of moods — the heartfelt melancholy of "Here's that Rainy Day" balancing the optimistic "Isn't This a Lovely Day," with her bright vocal cruising gracefully over Bromberg's throbbing bass. The soulful big-band brass textures on "If It's the Last Thing I Do" adds a classy closing touch.