[.ca] Standard Time

From Amazon.com:
Sanitize Tom Waits's vocal cords, take some of the rasp out of Dr. John's, put some muscle into Bobby Caldwell's, combine them and you'll have an approximation of the quality of Steve Tyrell's voice. Like his popular 1999 debut, A New Standard, this is a meticulously recorded album featuring the great American songbook and some of the best jazz soloists alive, including trumpeter Clark Terry, harmonica player Toots Thielemans, and singer Jane Monheit, who plays Lucille Ball and Betty Carter against Tyrell's Red Skelton and Ray Charles on the classic duet "Baby It's Cold Outside." Tyrell complements each of his partners with the kind of empathy that makes them shine as bright as his irresistible voice. Plas Johnson's saxophone take on "That Old Feeling," for instance, is highly reminiscent of the symbiotic musical partnership that Lester Young created with Billie Holiday more than half a century ago. Also like his first record, it is the creative arrangements of guitarist Bob Mann and pianist Joe Sample that make this 16-song disc work so well. --Mark Ruffin

S'wonderful!:
Thank you Today Show for doing a feature on Steve Tyrell. (Incidentally, he's a great man as well. He tragically lost his beloved wife to cancer a few years ago -- the focus of the piece -- and is raising three great kids.) But I digress. After the Today Show piece, I immediately ordered his CDs and have not stopped listening to them. What a deft touch he has to the standards...and what a marvelous voice. He sings with such passion and feeling. He is a master of these standards.

Stylistically stunted:
I'm not sure I totally understand Tyrell's appeal - it's on first hearing a fine voice for such equally fine material, but it's the use of the voice I find terribly limited. From one song to another, there's no added charm, humour, sensuality nor character, nor is there any variation in colour of the voice between lines or between tracks. Tyrell is from beginning to end the same showman-crooner, and persuades Jane Monheit that "Baby, It's Cold Outside" with the same sort of showy, projected candour as in "As Time Goes By". Listen to greats like Sinatra, Fitzgerald, Armstrong, Holliday, Bridgewater or even Diana Krall, and one is in different territory altogether. I find that Tyrell's fine in small doses (say, no more than two tracks at a time), but listening through an album and having to live through the same vocal style and mannerisms (including whooping portamentos not entirely suited for such a voice as his) for a whole hour is a bit like having chocolate fudge cake with a side order of chocolate ice-cream all washed down with a nice mug of hot chocolate. Burp!

STANDARD TIME: Above Standard Fare:
Fans of Steve Tyrell know this: Steve Tyrell has earned his place in history. His first album, A NEW STANDARD was a perfect piece of work. This second release, STANDARD TIME, seals it. How much excellence can one absorb? On first hearing, one is blown away by the spirit of the thing; the rhythm, the sound. What a Voice! What a Band! It's obvious that he's having a lot of fun. You know the songs. Even the youngsters are recording them, some of them very well. Steve Tryell is giving them back to us the way they ought to sound. With the same swinging band from A NEW STANDARD--world-class players from the era of big bands and jazz joints--and more excellent songs, more brilliant arrangements, and a voice too marvelous for words, Steve Tyrell has given us more reason to dance, to smile, to listen. He's a man of many moods, this Steve Tyrell. Listening to him sing is like watching an accomplished actor read his lines. His heart aches with "That Old Feeling," and the haunting "Stardust." He isn't maudlin about it. It's just a fact. His take on "I Wonder" is fun, and it seems to make the song more important than it ever was before. "What a Little Moonlight Can Do" will sweep you away to New Orleans, with the band having as much fun as Tyrell. The Gershwins would be proud of his sincerity on "Our Love Is Here To Stay" and his longing on "Someone To Watch Over Me.". But listen closely to "Ain't Misbehavin'." Isn't that a wink? And when Jane Monheit joins him for "Baby, It's Cold Outside" the wolf comes alive in him. Their rendition beats the old, and even the new, takes on this delightful piece. Add this album to your shopping cart. Once it starts playing and you start grinning you may find you want to keep it playing all the time. It's a straight shot of joy.

No Sophomore Slump For Steve Tyrell, He's On A Roll!:
It is a rare occasion indeed when an artist can recreate the magic that was captured on a hit debut album and establish themselves as a leader of a musical trend, but with his second release "Standard Time" Steve Tyrell has done just that. With an ensemble of world-class players he covers some of the real jewels out of the Great American Songbook and together these wonderfully talented musicians give us renditions that will last a lifetime. If you LOVE listening to GREAT CROONERS and BIG BAND SWING, I would also recommend, Monte Procopio "Swingin' With Style" CD. He is another great crooner that can really SWING and deserves a listen. Buy both these CDs, you can't go wrong!

A Great Album:
I have enjoyed "A New Standard" for some time. I was pleased to see the release of another CD by this acclaimed artist. This album, with its excellent arrangements and Steve's rich, gravelly voice, is just as much a treat. The songs are romantic, classic, and well-executed. I haven't stopped listened to it. It is my contention that Steve has surpassed any expectations of remaking the old jazz standards--he has become the standard by which other modern jazzists should be measured. This album will continue to live on, just as those of the greats.

• It Had To Be You
• Until The Real Thing Comes Along
• Ain't Misbehavin'
• That Old Feeling
• Baby, It's Cold Outside (w/ Jane Monheit)
• Stardust
• It All Depends On You
• As Time Goes By
• I Wonder
• What A Little Moonlight Can Do
• Why Was I Born
• Let's Fall In Love
• Our Love Is Here To Stay
• Someone To Watch Over Me
• Everytime We Say Goodbye
• Remembering 'Sweets