Music Review: Nicole Henry Covers Sade (In Gold) With Her New Single IS IT A CRIME?

Heigh Ho, dear lovely rainbow tribe, welcome back to Bobby’s CD sandbox where we offer our broken-down breakdowns of new music releases. So, strap in and get ready, as Bobby goes on the record ABOUT the record.

For something in the neighborhood of 20(ish) years, my Lambkins, Nicole Henry has taken audiences down some of the warmest jazz waterfalls in music of the day. Her full rich vocals, her truthful emotional connection to her words, and her purity of phrasing have always combined to draw a listener in and make them hear her. All of this goes double when seeing and hearing her live, as her dynamic performances are gifts to any audience. This rainbow boy has only had the pleasure of being in a Nicole Henry audience once (so far) and it was an evening we will not soon forget. Until such time that one of her live shows is available again, it is good for all our souls that Nicole records music… a lot. The latest hors d'oeuvre from this singer’s very large platter is a wonderful single - a cover of Sade’s equally gorgeous IS IT A CRIME - a question, in the context of the song, but the way Nicole sings it, it certainly sounds like it is… A Crime… A wonderfully provocative one, to boot. Nicole has recorded and released this number in the past (2021) but this latest single release is an Extended Radio Edit, and after listening to a couple of her cuts, this is the recording little Bobby recommends.  Give this one a listen, dear Bobby readers…
 

As you heard, her performance makes this song a slow, smoky jazz-with-heart ballad mixed with a bit of R&B. The opening wail of the Sax drops us into her controlled upper register jazz vocals balanced perfectly with a fab bluesy guitar and bass line (the arrangement is sexy, sultry, and suits Henry's aesthetic to the letter). Though this is an established song from another artist, the lyrics here feel surprisingly personal - the longing of a woman who wants to give all to someone who has nothing but lies for her… but still she asks the title’s question… Is It A Crime? This is one of the true gifts Nicole has to offer. She didn’t write this song, but her depth of feeling, her emotional resonance, if you will, carries you with her through all the feels, no matter how dark. This is one of the benefits of having an authentic jazz singer who does double duty as an actress (check Henry's theatrical resume, sometime) - she is able to build upon the original composition and recording through her training as both a jazz singer and an actor, giving the recording luscious layers galore.  Henry's voice is no whisky and cigarettes gravel of dissipated jazz and blues; in fact, the voice is quite pretty, but it is this brightness in tone that plays off of the beauty of these pain-filled lyrics in ways that make it a bit sad and forlorn.  The story is of a woman whose love was basically a RAT who treated her to nothing but false hope and false stories and is, now, gone. She still longs for the RAT and wonders if they will be together, along with wondering if they should. The answer is NO, of course, but starting with that premise, there would be no song… about a RAT. However much we in modern times hate the thought of a woman giving herself to someone unworthy, it is a story we all know and many of us have lived, and Nicole goes right to the core of it, leaving us spent and still intrigued, much like the woman of the song - Spent but still intrigued, and so we can hold back nothing in giving Nicole Henry’s IS IT A CRIME our best…

5 Out Of 5 Rainbows. Put this in your Spotifies queue today: HERE

Pick Up The Song For You Collection On The Amazon: HERE

Nicole Henry's website can be accessed HERE

IS IT A CRIME? - CREDITS & THINGS

℗ 2023 Banister Records, Inc.

Released on: 2023-07-07

Producer: Pete Wallace
Producer: Nicole Henry
Writer: Sade Adu
Writer: Stuart Matthewman
Writer: Andrew Hale

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