The Boy Next Door

by Stacey Kent

Overview

Wrapping her sweet voice around songs by male singers she admires, Stacey Kent delivers another pleasant and low-key album with The Boy Next Door. Kent's tribute choices range from traditional pop (Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett) to mainstream jazz instrumentalists (Dave Brubeck, Dizzy Gillespie) to the softer side of rock (James Taylor, Simon and -- unmentioned in the liner notes -- Garfunkel). With a gentle conviction akin to early Blossom Dearie without the cheeky flair, the album makes for breezy listening. The 16 tracks don't differ enough in tone, making the album a bit too long, but individual moments of warm openhearted excellence make it worthwhile. The sentimentality of "Bookends" or "'Tis Autumn" suit her precious delivery well, while the sly moments of "Makin' Whoopee" feel out of the singer's reach. The bandmembers stay out of the way for the most part, waiting for their solos rather than interacting much with Kent. Drummer Matt Home's light but lively style is especially accommodating and guitarist Colin Oxley's percussive take on "Too Darn Hot" ends up being the album's greatest moment. ~ David Jeffries

Product Details

Release Date:	04/21/2023
Label:	Candid / Candid Records
UPC:	0708857320219
Rank:	69932

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Stacey Kent   Primary Artist,Vocals
Jim Tomlinson   Guest Artist,Saxophone,Vocals (Background)
Dave Chamberlain   Double Bass
Curtis Schwartz   Vocals (Background)
Colin Oxley   Guitar
David Newton   Piano,Keyboards,Vocals (Background)
Matt Home   Drums

Technical Credits

Paul Simon   Composer
Hugh Martin   Composer
Bill Graham   Composer
Irving Berlin   Composer
Cole Porter   Composer
Duke Ellington   Composer
Joe Carroll   Composer
Curtis Schwartz   Mixing,Engineer
Cy Coleman   Composer
Dizzy Gillespie   Composer
Carole King   Composer
Walter Donaldson   Composer
Jim Tomlinson   Producer
Nacio Herb Brown   Composer
Arthur Freed   Composer
Alan Bates   Executive Producer
Burt Bacharach   Composer
Henry Nemo   Composer
Hoagy Carmichael   Composer
Paul Francis Webster   Composer
Hal David   Composer
Carolyn Leigh   Composer
Richard Rodgers   Composer
Ralph Blane   Composer
Jacqueline Brewer   Cover Design
Kim Knott   Cover Photo
Ginny Bogadi   Make-Up