Sharny Russell - Comes a Time (Treasure House Music)

Historical article recovered from a Wayback capture dated 2018-02-24.

Sharny Russell is sadly under-recorded but she is the real deal. Russell’s timbre sits in a lush flower bed once occupied by Blossom Dearie and even another Qld singer Ingrid James. Indeed Blossom Dearie’s lineage is evident in Russell’s approach and her veracious but clever lyrics, however Russell is as original as they come and tries to be no-one but Sharny Russell. The album is abundant in melody and Russell has assembled a stellar group of Sydney musicians such as a swinging Brendan Clarke, a soulful Paul Cutlan and a tight Gordon Rytmeister. Among the thirteen tracks are four jazz standards but it’s the originals that maintain the interest. Russell accompanies herself on piano on ten tracks but it’s her clarity of phrasing even at fast tempos which feeds that curiosity. ‘Colour Me’ is one of those simple and catchy hooks and Russell’s sincerity shines through even adding credibility to a ‘do da do doo’ ending. ‘Never Goes Out of Style’ gives way to a little funky twelve bar blues and gives Cutlan another passionate exchange on tenor saxophone. One of the standards ‘I’ve Grown Accustomed to his Face’ allows the listener to get intimate with the tender voice then the curve ball surprises when it breaks into a samba against a haunting oboe solo from David Nuttall. This album satisfies on many levels

Peter Wockner