Never Let Me Go

For decades, people in the jazz world have been debating what does and doesn't constitute a jazz singer. Some bop snobs will insist that you aren't a true jazz singer if you don't spend a lot of time scatting your way through Dizzy Gillespie or Clifford Brown songs at 500 miles an hour; more broad-minded listeners, however, realize that not every jazz vocalist is obligated to be a purist. Never Let Me Go, the Mapleshade debut by singer Monica Worth, is jazz-oriented without being the work of a jazz purist. Greatly influenced by Morgana King, Worth doesn't stick to hardcore jazz or cater to bop snobs — you won't hear her scat singing John Coltrane's "Giant Steps" or delivering a vocalese version of Charlie Parker's "Ornithology" on this release. Traditional pre-rock pop and cabaret are influences, and Worth obviously isn't going to be compared to someone as challenging as Sheila Jordan — that isn't the type of approach she is going for. But while Never Let Me Go isn't the most cutting-edge CD in the world, it is a likable, if derivative, effort that paints an attractive picture of the King-minded singer. Worth has a lovely alto, and she shows herself to be an expressive interpreter of lyrics on well-known standards like "I'll Be Seeing You" and "Lazy Afternoon." To her credit, she realizes that worthwhile popular music didn't die with George Gershwin; this 1997 session also finds Worth successfully turning her attention to Stevie Wonder's "Overjoyed" and Little Anthony & the Imperials' "Going out of My Head." The latter might seem an unlikely choice for a jazz-oriented vocalist, but in fact the '60s song works well for Worth. Never Let Me Go doesn't try to reinvent the wheel, but it's a pleasant debut from someone who is worth keeping an eye on.