Restless Willow

Editorial Reviews
Richard Bourcier, JAZZ REVIEW
"A rising star..."

Bill Donaldson, JAZZIMPROV MAGAZINE
"Burnishes notes to a fine sheen"

Album Description
"Restless Willow" is a passionate and emotionally stirring new album from Stevie Holland. Arranged and orchestrated by Gary William Friedman, this new collection of classic jazz standards, special and original material reveals the depths of Stevie's emotions as well as her solid vocal abilities. Stevie is backed by some of today's finest jazz musicians including Kenny Washington on drums and David "Fathead" Newman on sax and is joined by singer Rubén Flores on the duet "One Touch".

Restless Willow

Tracks:

It Might As Well Be Spring
Love Is Stronger Far Than We
Summertime
How Long Has This Been Going On?
One Touch
Sunny Skies
Lush Life
Jeg Elsker Dig
Here's That Rainy Day
Zoot Walks In
Stardust

Album Description

RESTLESS WILLOW is a frolicky, swinging album from Stevie Holland. Arranged and orchestrated by Gary William Friedman, this collection of classic jazz standards, special and original material reveals Stevie's solid vocal abilities - as well as her ability to deliver a ballad with pure, emotional honesty. Stevie is backed by some of today's finest jazz musicians including Kenny Washington on drums and David "Fathead" Newman on sax and is joined by singer Rubén Flores on the duet "One Touch".

Customer Reviews:

Imaginative Musical Escape.......2004-12-29

If you are looking for an imaginative musical escape, Stevie Holland will impress you with her romantic nature and nostalgia inducing voice.

Throughout this CD, Stevie changes moods, takes on sassy songs and delves deeply into meaningful lyrics. Her voice mirrors the lyrics as she expresses wonderfully sensitive and sophisticated interpretations with her unforgettable soothing alto voice.

Her velvety voice dances with high energy in the jazz classic "Summertime" and then she artfully drifts into a romantic "How Long Has This Been Going On?" as her voice mellows into a warm sheer beauty. There is a stunning clarity in her voice and she takes each song and creates an entire world of romance.

You might also love "Almost Like Being In Love." I can highly recommend Stevie Holland's CDs for rainy days, dreamy winter nights by the fireplace or a relaxing evening.

~TheRebeccaReview.com

A sublimely restful evening with "Restless Willow".......2004-11-10

Stevie Holland has a flexible, sweet jazz voice. Her interpretation of jazz favorites such as "It Might As Well Be Spring", "Stardust" are individualistic but not off-the-wall. If you like club jazz, torch song with more warmth than flame, or girl singers like Clooney, you're gonna just love this CD.

My personal favorite on this album was "Love is Stronger Far than We", which you may better know as L'Amour est Plus Fort Que Nous from "A Man and a Woman." I loved the simple piano accompaniment with a touch of string, never overpowering Stevie's voice. I appreciated, in fact, that her backup of guitar, piano, flute, voice and percussion never, ever took away from the song but instead enhanced and intertwined with the voice to make very a very fine production. This is a lovely, relax-with-your-honey-on-a-snowy-evening CD. I heartily recommend this one!

A Towering, Restless Willow!.......2004-11-03

Stevie Holland is destined be recognized as one of the greatest vocalists of our time. "Restless Willow", her third recording and second of songs from the Great American Songbook proves that she has a solid ability to interpret time-worn material in completely original, refreshing ways. She has brilliant jazz chops that swing out wildly on tunes like "Summertime", "It Might As Well Be Spring" and "Zoot Walks In". Then she turns around and unleashes powerful emotion with a gorgeous, rich, warm voice on songs like "Love Is Stronger Far Than We" (a rarely recorded song I've loved for many years by Francis Lai from the film "A Man and A Woman"), "Lush Life" and "Here's That Rainy Day". Also on this CD is a sexy duet with Rubén Flores co-written with composer Gary William Friedman and a heavenly love song that Holland and Friedman developed from Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg's "Jeg Elsker Dig"! Stevie Holland has taken me on one of the most exquisite musical journeys in recent memory with "Restless Willow".

Hit&Miss.......2004-11-01

if Stevie Holland can somehow channel Toni Tennelle type of vocal vibe then I'd say you gotta keep any eye on Her. Her voice works well on certain cuts but sometimes things are hit&Miss.give Her time.I look to hearing what she does in the future.right now She is still finding Her voice.

Summertime and the living is easy.......2004-10-27

Imagine a warm -- but not too warm -- summer evening in a lantern-lit flower garden. That's the air of Stevie Holland's "Restless Willow" -- a soft, languorous jazz album that highlights Holland's smooth vocals and good choice of old and new songs.

Light percussion and an airy flute kick off the playful "It Might As Well Be Spring," a fun little melody that eases listeners into the slightly heavier songs. A sadder, more dignified tone comes in with the rich "Love is Stronger Far Than We," sensuous "How Long Has This Been Going On?", and the soaring duet with Ruben Flores, "One Touch."

But that sunny, catchy sound comes into the strummy "Summertime," playful "Sunny Skies," and the horn-augmented "Zoot Suit." The last half of this album is made mostly of gently sad ballads, finally climaxing in the poignant, restrained guitar blues of "Stardust."

The jazz-cabaret sound of Stevie Holland's voice is definitely suited to the songs here -- George Gershwin, Sinatra, Hammerstein, Tom Jones. Not to mention Holland herself and her husband/collaborator Gary William Friedman, who wrote the music for a few of these songs as well as producing and conducting.

Piano is the most prominent instrument in this album, save Holland herself. But it is a muted, softened sound as it trips along lightly behind her, backed by some solid, soft percussion, airy strings, and a tempo that stays mellow most of the time before bursting into a playful little tune.

Holland's voice is rich, smooth and soulful, gliding through the array of songs with apparently no effort; in "One Touch," she is paired with the soaring vocals of Ruben Flores. And the songs she wrote herself, "One Touch" and the sparkling "Jeg Elsker Dig" (translation: I love you) are not quite as well written as the covers, but taken alone they are truly excellent.

Stevie Holland's "Restless Willow" is a pretty, laid-back album of jazz/cabaret music, uniformly solid and full of fun and melancholy.

Music:

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