Search - Lisa B :: Center of the Rhyme

"Center of the Rhyme" is a swinging, sophisticated, original effort by singer-songwriter-poet Lisa B (Lisa Bernstein), accompanied by some of the Bay Area's best jazz musicians. On her second full-length record, Lisa B merges singing, songwriting, and poetry-rap in a way that?s both accessible and unique. Appreciators of excellent jazz voices, fans of evocative singer-songwriters, and sophisticated listeners to rap and spoken word all will find gems here. The first track is a spoken, poetic homage to the late, great Joe Williams segueing into a cover of his signature blues. Other tracks uniting a swinging jazz feel with Lisa B?s distinctive lyrics are "Keeps Me Up All Night" (a bluesy, sexy, witty original that could be an undiscovered standard); "A Place We Knew" (a driving, romantic waltz); "Slow" (a slow, shimmering, lyrical waltz); "Let Me Know It?s You" (a Norah-Jones-esque heartfelt, grooving ballad); and "The Bluejay Glide," a contemporary jazz, romantic fable. Adding some soul/jazz flavor, Lisa B interprets Bobby Caldwell?s hit "What You Won?t Do for Love," adding her own poetry-rap verses. The spoken word is both rhythmic and lyrical in the haunting title track, which lends a "Kind of Blue" feel. Rounding out the CD are Lisa B?s erotic, percussive "Be Electric," which boasts a hook-y chorus, and the dramatic, poignant, and timely "Captured by Time (the New War)." The great saxaphonist Jackie McLean calls the record "Fresh, very interesting, impressive: Lisa B is a brand-new Somebody here. Her music is both commercial and traditional. She has her own sound?a very nice voice. And the writing ? gorgeous." Critic Ted Panken writes: "On "Center of the Rhyme," singer-poet Lisa B, like all rugged individualists of the jazz tribe, articulates her accomplished narrative with a tonal personality entirely her own. She spins tales of desire and obsession with precise, striking images. Ms. B is by no means alone in chronicling in song the torments and raptures of eros. What separates her from the pack is a consistent imperative to swing and a keen understanding of how to articulate many paths. Ms. B makes it sound easy. Her voice is a lovely instrument, her timbre warm, her phrasing fluid, her articulation pristine, and she possesses an emotional range that makes lyrics sound like truth. She sings like the dickens."