Time, Seasons and the Moon – Frank Rubolino, Cadence Magazine

 

Tate has a unique tinge in her voice that distinguishes her recording of familiar and lesser-known tunes on this album, all of which revolve around the themes of time, seasons and the moon. She has the ability to twirl a note or add an offhand inflection to spike her performance. Tate is a melodic singer who occasionally inserts a scatting phrase or non-word lyric to keep the music slightly off balance and interesting. She often toys with the band with her scatting, coaxing the bass or other instrument to answer the call. Clarity is another characteristic that identifies her singing. On the slow ballads, she expresses love with an emotional air to establish firmly the dreamy sequence. The ballad is her forte, and she conveys the message of romance in effortless fashion.

 

Tate elected to use numerous configurations of instrumentalists to assist her on this project. She matches violinist Frigo with reed player Fudoli to add emotion to several tunes, instills a romantic samba sound on two cuts with assistance from guitarist and co-vocalist Garcia and the reeds of Eisen, and elsewhere mixes and matches a host of artists to achieve the special effects needed to convey her feelings. Tate interacts effortlessly with the bands, knitting her words to the music in a cohesive fashion. She takes the music on either a straight or invented course but always manages to establish an interpersonal relationship with the songs. It is a fine example of inspired lyricism.