Elly Roberts reviews
Zoe Schwarz & Rob Koral: Devil Or Dove
Distributed by
33 Records
- Released: March 2005
- Rating: 8/10
- Cat.no.: 33JAZZ121
Zoe Schwarz sets herself apart from her contemporaries by her ‘new skool’ approach, whilst retaining ‘old skool’ values.
This sensual blonde builds on last year’s excellent offering, with a stylish
collaboration from guitarist Rob Koral. The pair,who contribute eight
songs, are a formidable force in their respective departments: Schwarz a
consummate singer, Koral a dextrous digital master. Both have harnessed their
skills with perfection, all channelled into a collection that never gets too
loungy, and has enough to please purists and possesses a hint of cross-over
appeal.
She starts strong with Frankie and Johnny, a jaunty delight
showcasing her silky smooth larynx,while Koral picks his way in an
ultra-cool way. By sharp contrast, Devil Or Dove sees them both wrap
themselves around the notes as Schwarz leaps into husky sensuality
mode,which prevails through other tracks such as, More Than You Know and A
Dove.
Stuck in the middle is a rip-roaring keyboard excursion by Hilary
Cameron as they syncopate in frenetic fashion on People Like To Talk.
A possible single comes in the shape of Throw It Away - a definite for
A-playlist on BBC Radio 2.
Seven tracks on it comes to a gentle close with Koral displaying his finely
honed technique on a haunting Meet You In My Dreams with Zoe’s vocals
floating in the background.
A very strong album.
The full list of tracks included are :
Review & concert pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004-2010.
