Pre-Owned Sessions (CD 0711788011828) by Carolyn Maier

0711788011828. Pre-owned: Good condition. CD. Carolyn Maier took a different road to reach a vocal career. She was trained as a classical jazz harpist and has a degree in harp performance. Singing, however, was not all that mysterious, as she started that at the tender age of four. Sessions is her second album and her first for Lee Lessack's LML label. Perhaps it's the harp training that gives her clear contralto different qualities -- sometimes Celtic, other times folk, but mostly good solid traditional pop. Most of the material is familiar, and her voice works well with such favorites as "Autumn Leaves" and "I Remember You." She is joined in the latter by fellow harpist Corky Hale, and the contrast between the resonance of the harp and Maier's cool vocalizing makes for an unusual but pleasant listening experience. A medium-tempo "I've Got You Under My Skin" is a break in the string of slow ballads. Among the interesting tracks is "To Make You Feel My Love," where her voice takes on a folk quality as she accompanies herself on piano. Like many of her contemporaries, Maier uses many different combinations of players, meaning there was more than a single recording session. Although George Gaffney is the pianist on most cuts, four others were used throughout the session. And the same is true of drummers, one of whom is veteran Earl Palmer. To her credit, Maier manages to deal with the changes in the rhythm section. Also, in between some tracks, there is someone giving directions for the next cut and other pattering. Despite these distractions, this album offers much in the way of good music, warmly delivered by a singer with a delightful vocal manner about her. Recommended. ~ Dave Nathan, Rovi