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Time, Seasons and the Moon
Frank Rubolino, Cadence Magazine
2001
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.
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