Search - Weslia Whitfield :: Teach Me Tonight

Weslia Whitfield has greatly matured as a jazz vocalist.

Paul Pferdner (ppferdner@sfna.com) | San Francisco, California | 09/04/1998

(4 out of 5 stars)

"While Weslia Whitfield has won many fans (including me) for her ability to get inside a song you've heard a hundred times before and make you see it in a new light, with this album she really matures as a jazz vocalist. Her phrasing has become more unpredictable and interesting, and she has learned to sing around the music instead of just with it. I especially recommend her version of "I've Heard That Song Before", as well as her covers of two Sinatra ballads, "I Should Care" and "I Fall In Love Too Easily". This album reprises two songs from previous albums, and her new rendition of "Until The Real Thing Comes Along" showcases this musical growth when compared with the earlier version. If you have not heard Weslia Whitfield before, this is a great place to start."

DONE TO PERFECTION

MOVIE MAVEN | New York, NY USA | 02/05/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I admit that I first bought Weslia Whitfield's CD's when I read in "People" magazine the horrific details of the shooting by children that has crippled her. I went to hear and see her at the Algonquin Hotel where she was literally carried onto the stage by her husband/arranger/pianist, Mike Greensill. I knew from friends who heard her in her home town of San Francisco that she sang well and that Greensill played wonderfully. What I had not counted on was the total joy they bring into a room from the moment they begin to perform. She is completely sophisticated & urban and completely unpretentious--not a bad combination. Her voice is a mellow, sweet alto which a friend described as liquid jewels. She takes a familiar song and makes it new and her own. Greensill's arrangements are charming & witty and complement Whitfield perfectly. This couple is obviously in tune with one another in more ways than one. They also have exquisite taste in material which they cull from a wide variety of sources: for example, on this album they go from the opera "Porgy and Bess" to the Disney film, "Pinocchio" to the Broadway musical, "Bells Are Ringing" to the Jule Styne torch song "I Fall In Love Too Easily." Each song is done to perfection. I recommend each and every one of Whitfield's CD's (esp. this one and another called "Nice Work If You Can Get It") and I hope you can hear her live-in person."

Ooow, this is nice!!!

Moreen O'Neal | Ireland | 12/04/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I may be old fashioned but I like it when singers sing the entire song. Please allow me to explain my last coment. Most singers today leave out an important part of the song, the itroduction, the verse. Miss Wesla Whitfield sings verses to songs, the way thay would have been sung in the shows they were introduced in. Wesla is not a strict caberet singer, meaning that she takes liberties with songs, bending melodies, and reshaping songs, all very tastefully. With the help of her lovely husband Mr. Mike Grinsell, her pianist and arranger, wesla is able to express her jazz filled smooth and silky voice. her style is charming and old fasion yet modern and jazzy. Her small band is very jazz oriented as are the arrangemets. This will be a great stocking stuffer for any jazz fan!"