Catherine Russell and Sean Mason
My Ideal
(DOT Time Records)
January 26, 2025
Reviewed by Betsyann Faiella
Catherine Russell’s seriously fine, character-filled voice and technique make her a joy to listen to, and she has become a popular entertainer who appeals to many different types of audiences. With pianist Sean Mason, she’s created a lovely and easy-to-listen-to collaboration (her first using only piano and voice), with My Ideal, her ninth recording as a leader.
Russell has been on the scene for a couple of decades, and she spent many years as a backup singer for a number of artists including David Bowie and Michael Feinstein. Her pedigree goes deep. Her father Luis Russell was a pianist, orchestra leader, and composer. Carline Ray, Catherine’s mother, was a guitarist and vocalist who was, in the 1940s, a member of the International Sweethearts of Rhythm.
The influences of the greats are the point in My Ideal, from the early jazz of Fats Waller and James P. Johnson to the later Nat Cole/Sinatra pop/jazz sound. My Ideal is a short journey through jazz styles and icons, and a true collaboration between Russell and Mason. The supple, youthful Mason has a soulful yet minimal approach that has left much space for the singer to do what she does so well.
“A Porter’s Love Song to a Chambermaid” (James P. Johnson/Andy Razaf) and “Ain’t Got Nobody to Grind My Coffee” (Spencer Williams/Bud Allen) are novelty songs that take the listener straight to old New Orleans. “Ain’t That Love” (Ray Charles) reminds us of Charles’ unique talents as composer and performer, with its Sunday-morning gospel-like quality.
As much as I loved every unique and perfect performance, the recording as a whole would have benefitted from a bit more variety. Perhaps it should have been a two-disc release, considering the enormity of its concept. The abundance of character songs, stride, and the many similar rhythms created a clash with the two outstanding ballads, “My Ideal” (Richard Whiting and Newell Chase/Leo Robin) and “South to a Warmer Place” (Alec Wilder/Loonis McGlohon). The sameness from song to song would prevent repeated listenings for me, but many other listeners may feel differently. Certainly, this recording is unique and worthy in its own way.