Search - Dena Derose :: Love's Holiday

"Love's Holiday" Is Dena's Best

Steve Emerine | Tucson, AZ United States | 10/01/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Singer-pianist Dena DeRose continues to improve with each Sharp Nine CD she records. "Love's Holiday" is her fourth -- and her best, which is high praise for an artist with three topnotch recordings already under her belt. Traditionalists will love DeRose's handling of standards like "Lover,"I Thought About You," "I Didn't Know What Time It Was," "The Good Life," "Close Your Eyes" (from which the album title is taken), "Green Dolphin Street," "But Beautiful," "The Lamp Is Low" and "The Nearness of You" (with pianist Bill Charlap joining the ensemble). You've heard the songs before, but never like this. The arrangements are outstanding. The unexpected treasure, however, is Dena's original song, "The Iris," on which she blends her incredible voice with the rest of the orchestral instruments. Dizzy Gillespie's "Birks Works" and Dena's "Marian's Mood" round out the offerings. Earlier this year, Down Beat magazine listed Dena DeRose as a talent who deserves more exposure. Her "Love's Holiday" CD will give her just that. Once you buy it for your collection, you'll probably join those of us who also have her earlier recordings."

Unique Jazz Experience - Rev. 6-19-04

Sundance30 | Sundance, USA | 08/31/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I haven't heard a jazz singer like this since I don't know when. Dena DeRose possesses some very, very special talents. She is, first and foremost, a true jazz musician. She is fine pianist, arranger and composer. The topper is that she is just a wonderful singer. Her intonation is superb and she sings with a range of emotion, from an insouciant coolness to a melt your heart warmth. Love's Holiday" is an extremely satisfying, refreshing CD. Her signature sound is vocalizing her piano solos or scatting with her swinging piano solos. Her voice is crystalline in sound, with impeccable jazz phrasing where she can easily change keys or slide through the bars with horn-like pacing. She has an outstanding backup. DeRose has arrived I play her albums constantly and never tire of then, because each time I listen to her, I get a different feeling. I highly recommend this album. for a unique jazz experience."

Not quite there

O. Diaz | St. Petersburg, FL | 05/25/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Dena is an excellent jazz pianist with a pleasant voice that she puts to good use in most of the tracks here, but much too often, after a good vocal start, we are treated to extended instrumental interludes featuring her improvisational skills at the keyboard, which is really more suitable for a jazz festival than for armchair listening. I have qualms about some of the arrangements as well, which often feature dissonant horns that destroy the mood of the song - the effect is somewhat jarring. Dena is best at the soft ballads, and it would be great if she could make an album where she does just that. As it is, this one shows a consummate professional at work, one a bit too preoccupied with the technical side of the music to make the result connect emotionally on a consistent level."