Ashley Locheed & Chris Rottmayer – So In Love – CD Review
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Plastic – CD
Surface noise: N/A
Dynamic Range: 4-
Stereo Imaging: 4-
Image depth/perspective: 4-
Overall frequency response: 4
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Track List:
- So In Love
- Ama De Beber
- ‘Round Midnight
- Day In, Day Out
- I Love Paris
- Something So Right
- Summer Wind
- Sailing
- Windmills Of Your Mind
- La Vie En Rose
- So In Love – take 2
Line Up:
- Ashley Locheed – Vocals
- Chris Rottmayer – Piano
- Chuck Archard – Electric Bass
- Keith Wilson – Drums
This album was recorded at Timucua White House, Orlanda, FL. in 2011. Recording, mixing and mastering was performed by Benoit Glazer, the artistic director at the Trimucua Arts Foundation. The album was originally released on the Timucua Arts Foundation label on September 4th, 2020.
Ashley Locheed is a seasoned jazz vocalist performing internationally with the Ashley Locheed Quartet, and recently headlining with The Perugia Big Band at The Musica per i Borghi festival Umbria, Italy. She tours regularly with Michael Bolton, has supported Engelbert Humperdinck on several of his tours and performed with Kenny Drew Jr., Richard Drexler and Kym Purling to name just a few. This is her second album release with Chris Rottmayer her first being Back In Town in June, 2020 .
Chris Rottmayer plays jazz piano, is a jazz vibraphonist, and currently the Instructor of Jazz Piano at the University of South Florida. He is a pianist for Walt Disney and has released two earlier albums; Reactive Synthesis – March, 2013 and Sunday at Pilars – November, 2020.
What this album is not is Fusion/Jazzrock. It is a mix of very laid back easy listening tracks. As such the sound is neither very dynamic nor very detailed. Letting the listener fall into a relaxing sultry mood. The tracks levels were all a little low and I needed to raise my volume by +6dB in order to listen at my typical levels. Even so, no annoying mix background electronic noise made itself apparent. Being recorded in a semi-live room it felt like a live club recording with a pleasing “open” and clean sound.
Ashley stands front and center of the mix with good presence. Her dynamics did not seem to be overly restricted having a warm and mellow tone that occasionally became a little breathy and deep. Her annunciation always being clear and concise with no undue emphasis to any part of her vocal range and her close miking rarely accentuating any sibilance.
Overall musicianship and vocals were very good providing a tight, enjoyable and entertaining performance. Stereo imaging was reasonable with the rooms acoustic environment being clearly audible around the entire kit but not obvious on Ashley’s vocals, the piano or the electric bass. There were a few nice long tail-outs like that of T7 that decayed into silence.
The piano occupied most of the forward stereo image, being in front of Deborah’s vocals. It was heavily waited to the right hand side with some key-work being apparent all the way across to the left of center. It had an open, clean, bright and mellow tone with good attack. Very little of the rooms acoustics seemed to be part of its sound. No key or damper actions were noted. Good piano solos abound on virtually every track.
The kit created a well defined central image from midway left to midway right with the room acoustics making it sound very set back and adding all the reverb required. The toms provide a well damped hollow tone with the kick drum creating a very deep and solid, well damped thud, being well integrated tonally with the electric bass. The snare had a short well damped ring with pleasing brush work on tracks T7 and T9. Unfortunately while the cymbals and hi-hat were all well detailed, clean and open, they lacked any real sparkle with the wood blocks being pleasingly resonant. There were no drum solos of note except a couple of short breaks on T2.
The electric bass showed no room acoustics sound so I assume it was direct injected (DI’d) into the mixer. It was located dead center, in the same plane as the vocals, but its lack of any ‘edge’ reduced its apparent presence. It created a very dry, heavy and on occasions deep rolling tone, well integrated with the kick drums thud. It was never lost in the mix being clearly audible at all times; occasionally popping to the front of the mix, driving vocal numbers along and accompanying the many piano solos. No fret or finger work noise was noted. Only one bass solo raised its head on T3 showing just how clean the bass tone was.
Despite no overtly obvious compression, the overall instrumental dynamics never excelled and the soundstage was a little dull lacking in punch and sparkle. However, as laid back easy listening jazz that is probably just fine. Who wants their nerves jangled as you relax into Ashleys’ warm and mellow tones?
All tracks are quite well recorded and musically well performed, providing accomplished vocal and piano performances. I am sure that many fans of Ashley Lochead and Chris Rottmayer will thoroughly enjoy this album.
Playback note: Reviewed using my Denon DBP A100 over Denon Link 3. Speakers; a stereo pair of Genelec 1038’s and four SVS subs.
Disclosure: This CD was provided by Kari-On Productions for my review. No financial compensation was provided.
Purchase this CD from Ashely Locheed or Bandcamp or download from Amazon Music.
See my other Kari-On Productions reviews here.
