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Dennise Neill: "One Kiss" Is Not Enough

By Keith Hannaleck

Artist: Dennise Neill
Title: "One Kiss" Is Not Enough
Genre: Jazz-Vocals-Latin
Label: DNP
Website: www.myspace.com/denniseneillquintet
Purchase this CD: CD Baby

Dennise Neill’s “One Kiss” Is Not Enough is a multi-lingual jazz vocal album mixed with Latin vibes featuring vocals in English, Italian, French, and Spanish. Now how is that for worldly coverage? Jazz is a universal language and it only seems fitting that you have the opportunity to hear it in several different languages all at once on one album. I cannot say it is very common to find a recording like this and I must say it was a nice change from anything else I have heard for quite some time.

Some very competent musicians back Dennise on this recording. It is broken down into four separate sessions. The main players are Ron Stout (trumpet), Joe Bagg (piano), Ralph Penland (drums), Tony Dumas (bass), and Larry Koonse (guitar). The trumpet, guitar, and piano are predominant throughout and it works out well because they compliment Dennise’s soft and expressive vocal style. I cannot understate the importance of the percussion in jazz and that certainly applies here, as many of the tracks are Latin flavored. If you do not have excellent percussion you have no Latin beat, there is no getting around that. So my hat is off to all concerned on this project, everyone is well equipped to make the music to back the artist on all eleven tracks.

An unyielding consistency develops musically throughout and Ms. Neill does a nice job with each track and most impressively in four different languages. It is an amazing performance actually and one that any jazz aficionado would appreciate.

“Estate” is a charming track that highlights Neill’s flexible vocal chords. She covers it in Italian and English. I am sure if this artist toured Europe she would be a big hit. The track also features some nice Latin acoustic guitar runs from Larry Koonse, who also arranges the song. It does not take long to realize after listening to this recording a few times and looking over the credits, that it was truly a collaborative effort. The classic “Autumn Leaves” follows and keeps that warmth and rhythm flowing, this time in French and English. This is the pattern formed as the music plays through each track. I really enjoyed the closer “Bonita,” which is one of the first words I learned in Spanish, meaning beautiful. As it ends in such a wonderful way, you know that a very entertaining and diverse jazz CD just came to a close, which prompts you to give it just one more spin because one listen is not enough.

Reviewed - July 8, 2007

Tracks:

01. That Old Feeling (4:50)
02. Estate (5:10)
03. Autumn Leaves (4:45)
04. Un Bacio E Troppo Poco (4:08)
05. Now (4:45)
06. Speak Low (6:15)
07. Esta Tarde Vi Llover (5:10)
08. Beyond The Sea (4:25)
09. Dizzy So Dizzy (3:24)
10. Over You (6:40)
11. Bonita (5:20)

About the Author:

Keith Hannaleck, known as “MuzikMan” is a Journalist specializing in independent and major music reviews and the promotion of artists via the various media outlets flourishing online. He has worked closely with artists, management, publicity directors, and webmasters to provide some of the best and far-reaching coverage an artist could have. Focusing primarily on the internet as a medium for his work, Keith has been a pioneer in the industry changing the way a reviewer with his various talents are used by many artists, PR folks, and labels. He has provided strong and valuable work to labels, artists, and publicity people, writing reviews, press releases, and biographies and much more over the years, giving the people he works with the maximum amount of exposure through several top-notch websites that post his content on their sites.

Hannaleck built and maintained his own website in 1998 while networking and building his reputation through thousands of reviews and interviews, creating a special niche for himself. Through many years of dedication and hard work, he has reached a respected level of competence and knowledge that is frequently sought by the music industry today. Known for his speaking from the heart interpretations of music and being able to put it in layman’s terms for music fans, his work is found everywhere in cyberspace and in traditional print media, from press kits to quotes from reviews in magazine advertisements.