Andy James - Let Me See Your Heart (2024)

Here is a very strange album, impeccable musically, with renowned artists such as John Beasley, Jon Cowherd, Nate Smith, Chico Pinheiro, Ronnie Foster, John Ellis, and others. Consequently, the arrangements and the music are absolutely sublime. However, Andy James, while she has been a good singer, has never been a performer. Often out of breath and downright unbearable when she tries to convey emotion in a phrase, it doesn’t work, and it clearly feels like a career-ending album, designed to charm her audience and try to stay relevant.

Unless you’re a fan of Andy James, this album is likely to irritate you from the first listen. Personally, I couldn’t get past three tracks, starting with a version of “Take 5” that seems interesting in the musical introduction but falls apart as soon as Andy James enters, and this pattern repeats with every track. There’s an excess of vocal vibrato to mask a voice that isn’t really there anymore, with the third track “Photograph” being a vocal massacre.

The result is an extremely pretentious album of 12 tracks. Even with Andy James’s explanations, “I carefully considered the more rhythmic songs on the album,” she explains. “I felt the album needed these tracks because I was so tempted to simply compile beautiful dark songs to match my melancholic feelings.” It’s better to stick with some of Andy James’s older albums, which are better vocally mastered than this one, which is entirely forgettable, uninspired, and certainly not inspiring. There are so many exciting jazz singers today that it’s impossible to appreciate this outdated vocal style, which gives the impression of a lot of money wasted on such a project.

Therefore, we will only give this album one star, out of respect for the excellent work of the musicians, who have perfectly fulfilled their mission with talent.