JAMIE SHEW, Spicy Classy (and a little) Sassy

Fans familiar with vocalist, songwriter, arranger and esteemed music educator Jamie Shew’s personal story may fondly recall that her second album Eyes Wide Open (2018) was a heartfelt, life affirming tribute to her jazz-filled journey with her husband Roger, a respected bassist and fellow educator who died from a rare form of cancer in 2016.

Just as that inspiring collection was what I called “a testament to the beauty of true love and the timeless healing power of music,” her long awaited follow-up, the whimsically titled (and perfectly in line with the singer’s personality) Spicy, Classy (and a little) Sassy emphatically reflects her journey of healing and resilience - and her ability to open up once again to romance and the feeling that life can still be good even after our hearts are broken.

From the buoyant, playful and funked up jazz of “Invitation” through a sultry, charming take on “I’m Glad There Is You,” Shew, pianist Jeremy Siskind and her phenomenally intuitive ensemble paint the narrative of emotional survival and fresh mercies of meaningful new love via sparkling, soulful, swinging, sensitive and yep, often sassy arrangements of Great American Songbook and Songbook adjacent standards. These include a cabaret worthy version of “Comes Love,” a sultry stroll through “Close Your Eyes” featuring the wondrous Rhodes playing of onetime Snarky Puppy keyboardist Kait Dunton, a fun, fast and furious romp extolling he “Secret Love” and an elegant, straightforward take on “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered.”

Amidst all the interpretive magic, Shew includes two powerful originals that serve as autobiographical emotional centerpieces – “Enough,” the witty, blues/funk ode to balancing outside relationships with single motherhood, and “Letters from You,” a passionate ballad inspired by long ago, deeply revealing correspondences between Shew’s mother and widowed grandmother. The Siskind penned gem “Each Time” is a classic styled harmony duet performed with bassist and vocalist Lyman Medeiros.