Jo Harrop
The Heart Wants
(Lateralize Records)
March 8, 2022
Reviewed by Alix Cohen
This is British jazz vocalist/songwriter Jo Harrop’s second CD and the first collection of her own songs. I’m going to use my not knowing about the performance life across the pond as an excuse for my lack of awareness. Hers is the kind of smooth, lush clarity of tone one can listen to at length. Except for a bonus track, the arrangements are symbiotic. Several arrive so understated in their support that Harrop sings almost a cappella—a brave and rewarding rarity. Her songs are a mixed bag; all are pretty good, some are excellent.
“The Heart Wants What the Heart Wants” (written with Hannah Vasanth) showcases Harrop’s smoky, lingering vibrato. She sings as if she’s exhaling. A resonant bass (Christian McBride) provides carpet-like moss. The expressive trumpet (Andrew Davies) seems distinctly sentient. The phrasing is juicy. On “Everything’s Changing” (written with Natalie Williams/Sam Watts/Vassanth), a song for the times, Harrop slip/slides notes, sometimes alto, at other times contralto. It’s pearly, wistful, and full of feeling. “I Think You Better Go” (written with Jamie McCredie) is a three-martini song. Harrop has her own, low-key bluesy approach.
“Red Mary Janes & A Brand New Hat” (written with Vasanth/Williams) conjures the 1930s. Harrop and company are all sashaying flirt. The piano (Jason Rebello) swings its hips; the bass (Jihad Darwish) winks: “I’m gonna kiss the sky/And leave a little sugar behind.” Harrop sings with just the right inflection. “Life Inside” (written with George Glew/Vasanth/Jamie McCredie) features Marcus Bonfanti in a vocal duet. These two are swell together. Their sound is cozy, folksy. McCredie’s guitar evokes a campfire. The song would’ve suited Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton.
“If I Knew” (written with Paul Edis) could be on a Sarah Vaughan record. “I wish I lingered a little bit longer with my gaze/I wish I told you all the things I couldn’t say/If I knew it would be the last time,” the artist sings, rife with weary resignation. The only song not by Harrop is her rendition of “If Ever I Would Leave You” (Frederick Loewe/Alan Jay Lerner from Camelot) which is more classically jazz oriented than anything preceding it. Jason Rebello’s reflective piano wanders across uncharted terrain. Harrop’s voice flies like a kite in a spring breeze.
