Sherri Roberts - Anybody's Spring (2017)

Like the season it describes, there's something magical about Anybody's Spring, the latest from Bay Area vocalist Sherri Roberts and her fifth leader date. These songs reap the benefits of personal experience, as Sherri has sung them in spring-themed performances for the past two decades. Swinging from the jazz compositions of Clifford Brown and Tadd Dameron to the standard and not-so-standard fare of Rodgers and Hammerstein, Hoagy Carmichael and Blossom Dearie favorite Bob Haymes, the set list is a spring lover's dream come true. It's Anybody's Spring establishes a tone, in which the verdant colors of Sherri's voice--her balance of depth and shine, the comforting embrace of her vibrato--are immediately evident. All this gorgeousness finds ideal cushioning in the support of her bandmates: pianist David Udolf, bassist Harvie S, drummer Akira Tana, and guitarist Sheryl Bailey. The democratic consistency of their rapport is key to this album's free and relaxed atmosphere. What distinguishes Anybody's Spring is its narrative drama and cohesion. Sherri leaves no facet of spring untouched: its loves (They Say It's Spring, While We're Young), lamentations (Now At Last, One Morning In May), and loveliness (Joy Spring, Double Rainbow). Through it all, she emerges as a warm soul, fortifying listeners against the whip of lingering winter winds. Highlights include Spring, Sprang, Sprung, of which Sherri's winged delivery makes it a quintessential embodiment of the album's theme. Whether drawing near to classics like Lady Bird and It Might As Well Be Spring or the more obscure fare of After All It's Spring, a heartfelt effervescence shines through. And in ballads like Spring Isn't Everything, Sherri shows us that true love always starts with yourself. Like a masterfully blended perfume, Anybody's Spring starts with a citrusy opening and moves through floral accords to a muskier base, and it's one you'll want to apply to the pulse points of your musical appreciation all year round.