Roots Musician Sasha Dobson Transforms Into Pure Jazz Vocalist On ‘Girl Talk’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

You may know Sasha Dobson as part of Norah Jones’ female trio Puss n’ Boots or you may recall her from the EP she did With Don Was and Jay Lane.  The multi-faceted Dobson has straddled the lines between jazz and roots music for two decades now and has evolved into a singer-songwriter that somewhat belies her parental jazz upbringing. Her father, pianist Smith Dobson. played for two decades with Bobby Hutcherson as well as Art Pepper and Red Holloway and her mother was the acclaimed vocalist, Gail Dobson.  So, pure jazz is the music she heard in her home growing up and it has always been a huge part of who she is. She has played many projects as a guitarist, drummer, and singer but always retreats to her love for jazz when listening to music at home. Thus, Girl Talk, presenting Dobson as a jazz vocalist, is a project she’s long wanted to do. It was simply a matter of when.     

Dobson doesn’t just roll out a repertoire of standards but mixes a couple of them with her mostly original compositions, fronting a core trio of Neal Miner on bass, Dred Scott or Kenny Wolleson on drums, and featured artist, Peter Bernstein on guitar.  Norah Jones adds harmony vocals to the title track and Dobson enlists support from Brazilian percussionist Mauro Refosco for “Perhaps, Perhaps,” and trumpeter Steven Bernstein with saxophonist Ian Hendrickson-Smith for “These Boots Are Made for Walking.” Her brother, multi-instrumentalist Smith Dobson, contributes vibraphone in spots as well, notably in the breezy “Time on My Hands.”

Beginning with her original, “Better Days,” she comes across as steeped in jazz phrasing and possessing a sophisticated sense of harmony, with foundational hints of blues and bebop.  She spars playfully with Bernstein on “Sweet and Lovely,” delivering some scat along the way.  The title track shows off her wit with longtime collaborator and bestie, Norah Jones adding her backing vocals remotely for the Neal Hefti tune.  Even though they weren’t singing together during the recording, their intuitive feel for tempo and phrasing impresses. Dobson’s sultry side imbues her original, “You’re the Death of Me,” a light groove where she is again locked in tightly with the guitarist.

“Great City” was inspired by the lockdown as Dobson reflected on her city suddenly lacking its usual vitality. This is a Curtis Lewis composition with Bernstein swinging and Miner walking a sturdy bass line.  The bassist is also the arranger for the standards “Sweet and Lovely,” Softly as in a Morning Sunrise,” and “Autumn Nocturne.” Dobson injects her own improvisations toward the end of the latter. Her command of vocalese shines in her conversations with all three trio members in the former. The album’s most recognizable tune, “These Boots Are Made for Walking” would seemingly be an outlier on a jazz vocal album but Dobson transforms the tune from its sassy stance into a cute, half sung, half scatted tune that with the horns backing, takes on a vintage 1930- 40s facelift. 

 This is Dobson showing us what she was raised to do. She pulls it off with aplomb and sets the table for hopefully more sumptuous offerings to follow.     

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