Review by David Kane, ©Cadence Magazine 2008 (http://www.cadencebuilding.com)

April 2008

Elaine Lucia offers up an attractive collection of good tunes, well sung. I initially had fears about this CD given its upbeat, optimistic good vibes—anathema to a naturally cynical reviewer such as I am...But by the time I had gotten to “Fun Life,” Ms. Lucia’s pretty voice and earnest manner had defeated the curmudgeon within, at least temporarily. She has a pleasant, clear instrument and a disarming manner of conveying a lyric. I wouldn’t be surprised to find that she is a professional studio singer and indeed, her own smoothly rendered backing vocals on several tracks point in that direction...her focus on this CD seems not so much on improvisation as it is on communicating the lyric. The arrangements are tasteful and Alford and Kashiwa get in some nice, if understated, solos but my favorite tune on the CD is the no-frills duo recording of Frishberg’s “You Are There” which Lucia sings with an enviable emotional authenticity. Although this is not a typical dyed-in-the wool Jazz record...that’s really not that important. What’s important is that there some good tunes here sung by an appealing talent and I recommend A Sonny Day as being worthy of your attention.

Review by Scott Yanow, LA Jazz Scene (http://www.scottyanow.com/LosAngelesJazzScene.html)
February 2008

Elaine Lucia was originally from upstate New York, and chose jazz over potential careers in musical theatre and classical music. A fixture on the San Francisco Bay area scene, she has a very attractive voice, hitting high notes with little apparent effort. A Sonny Day is dedicated to her late father Frank “Sonny” Lucia.
From the start of the opener, Duke Ellington’s “I Like The Sunrise,” it is obvious that Ms. Lucia has a warm and distinctive voice. Her repertoire is intelligent and eclectic, reflecting aspects of her father’s life. Included are Chick Corea’s “Sea Journey,” The Warren-Dubin song “I Only Have Eyes For You,” her own “I Call You Sonny” and Dave Frishberg’s “You Are There.” Joined by a local rhythm section and a few guests (including saxophonist Jeff Kashiwa), Elaine Lucia not only performs a heartfelt tribute but shows listeners what she can do. Hopefully she will be booked in Southern California in the near future for she is quite talented and has a joyful spirit. (available from www.elainelucia.com)

Review from Greg Hester Jazz (http://www.greghesterjazz.com/)
August 23, 2006

Every now and then along comes a singing voice that does justice to the grace and natural beauty of the one doing the singing. Such a voice is that of jazz vocalist Elaine Lucia.  That this lady who has been endowed  with such an abundance of exquisite charm and physical elegance could be granted yet more natural gifts seems grossly unfair to the rest of us mere mortals, yet, Ms. Lucia seems to have received a lot more than her share of talent. She has been blessed with a singing voice to match her gorgeous good looks.

I endured the 60 mile drive to Petaluma this past Sunday to catch her act at SoHo (formerly Zebulon's Lounge) since, just the day before I had heard her do a two-song guest shot at the Petaluma Jazz Festival with Gary Vongensen's jazz trio, at which time I became an instant captive.

She did not disappoint. Alluring at times; boistrous, bouncy and engaging at others. Funny, witty, delicate and eloquent, but always - always - classy and thoroughly professional.  And she can sing! Oh my, can she sing!

Appearing with a quartet of unbelievably talented side-men, Jonathan Alford, piano; Pierre Archain, bass; Alan Hall, drums; and special guest, guitarist Gary Vogensen,  Elaine brought the packed house to its collective feet, opening with Duke Ellington's I Like the Sunrise, her lead song on her newest CD, A Sonny Day, and she didn't stop until she'd gone through the entire album. Interspersed among a few standards such as Sunny and I Only Have Eyes for You were other, more obscure works which included Bacharach's In the Land of Make Believe  and the haunting Bossa Nova-ish Lugar Bonito. She sang Sea Journey, a Chick Corea/Neville Potter composition, and a technically demanding  piece with extremely intricate time signatures and harmonic structures. The band handled it flawlessly and Elaine sang it beautifully. Pierre Archain, who may be the most animated bass player these old eyes have ever had the pleasure of watching, seemed to thrive in the complex rhythms, as did drummer Alan Hall, who not only swings with the best of them, but handles the tricky Latin beats with all the deftness one would expect of a seasoned pro. Piano player Jonathan Alford is nothing short of sensational. Incredibly, he played most of this challenging program without the benefit of sheet music, or so it seemed from my vantage point. But either with  or without charts, the man was brilliant.

Probably the number one jazz guitarist in this entire musician-rich San Francico Bay Area, at least as far as any I've heard, is Gary Vogensen, performing on this night as a special guest artist, but who, on other occasions, records and leads a trio of his own. Gary was a perfect fit with this outstanding group of musicians. Few guitarists could have adapted with such apparent ease. My guess is that, in order for these guys to have been able to play these almost orchestral arrangements with such exacting precision, they would had to have spent many, many long hours at rehearsal. But without question -  such diligence and hard work has paid off big-time. Their performances were superb.

But back to Elaine. At the risk of being accused of indulging in blatant hyperbole, I feel compelled to make some comments on Elaine Lucia's work as a jazz singer:  I'll start by saying this gal's got chops. Major chops. There are unmistakable hints of Susannah McCorkle in her work. I'm convinced that Susannah herself, would sing Elaine's songbook in the same way, but probably not any better.

The pre-requisites for good jazz vocalizing can be summed up in just a few words: Range; timbre; breath control; timing; clarity, voicing and phrasing. A lot easier said than done. She possesses all of these qualities in spades. Add to that, a splash of pixie-ish playfulness and a sassy demeanor, with undertones of passion, pathos and pain, mix well, combine with three or four accomplished back-up musicians and it all adds up to a wonderful couple of hours of evening's entertainment.

Reviews of Live Shows:  

Elaine Lucia picks songs which are sometimes surprising within a live jazz set but which show what she can do. And she can do plenty. The other night at the Club Jazz Nouveau in San Francisco’s Cannery, she offered up “When You Wish Upon a Star” and made herself glow like a star in the making, well worth wishing on...Her vocal tone has a rare and pleasant purr, and her phrasing, which includes bravely sustained notes, is alluring without being contrived…The sparkling purity of her voice was well applied to “Alfie,” where another virtue rare among jazz singer shown though: she tempers her vibrato rather than over-exercizing it…As for Lucia, you can catch her at what she describes as “the perfect, intimate little jazz club for snuggling and listening to songs of love.” The date, in case you hadn’t guessed, is Valentine’s Day. There’ll be a lot to fall in love with.” --Jeff Kaliss, S.F. Bay Area music writer

In the annals of all of the heretofore unknown opening acts I've ever had to sit through at concerts over the years, Elaine Lucia certainly stands as one of the most pleasant surprises. She and her musicians are very tight, loose enough to be a lot of fun but with the discipline to avoid meandering and keep it sharp. Elaine herself has a fluid, enjoyable voice and a natural  jazz vocal style ranging from the playful to the strong, incorporating a bit of scat singing, and just enough vocal pyrotechnics to show that she has the chops but wisely avoiding the oversinging that so plagues female vocalists of today (the Mariah/Whitney syndrome). In additions to a number of  standards, she did a fine version of Sting's "Consider Me Gone" and brought the house down with the Joni Mitchell song "All I Want." I was impressed  enough to buy her CD. –Mark J. Moerman, Amazon.com review

I agree wholeheartedly with Mark's review. I just discovered this album, thanks to reference by Herb Wong, who wrote the liner notes. Lucia has a high beautiful voice. She sings it straight or with swing, great clarity & diction (a bit like Singer's Unlimited's Bonnie Herman). There are also hints of smoldering sultriness & passion which recall another great high-voiced young singer, Tiernay Sutton. Highlights for me are "It Might as Well Be Spring," with some surprising twists, & Mitcell's "All I Want"-- a thoughtful, heartfelt reading. But it's all great. –E.C. Goodstein, Amazon.com review

Reviews for elaine lucia sings jazz and other things

“You're going to like this combination: a high innocent voice, a batch of rarely-played tunes, and a large group of fine players. Elaine Lucia  digs into Leonard Feather's "Love Is a Word for the Blues", having fun with the 5/4 time. Bell-like piano chords (Jonathan Alford) are met by brushes on a hard scamper (Curt Moore). On the bridge we hear an overdubbed choir of Elaines...you'll love it.  She's a siren on "Key  Largo" - enticing, and beautifully slow. (Then hear Bud Shank, his alto sweet like Paul Desmond.) And she plays the innocent on "Don't Go Away Mad", telling her unlikely tale in the sweetest way. When you hear a voice like hers, how could you be mad?  Her sass is welcome on "I'm Gonna Go Fishin'", wed to a vamp that sounds like "Take Five". (This is Alford's best moment and possibly Elaine's.) She ends the disc by weeping, on the rainy "Small Day Tomorrow". The songs and the band are good - but you will remember this voice.”  -- John Barrett, Staff Editor, JazzUSA.com
 

“…Lucia is in her element on Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Agua de Beber." The weight and sensual quality of her voice are very well suited to the bossa nova. The same can be said for her performance on the Duke  Ellington/Peggy Lee tune "I'm Gonna Go Fishin'," and Frank Loesser's classic "Never  Will I Marry."   
The album begins and concludes with winning tunes that share a bluesy feel. The languid melodies "Detour Ahead" and "Small Day Tomorrow" are Lucia's most alluring performances. Her phrasing is richly colored and very feminine, and she sounds totally at ease on both, stretching out elegantly as she takes us through their lyrical passages.    This album is a good career move for a young artist who has some cool, and shows a good bit of jazz savvy.   -- By Philip Van Vleck , CDNOW

The play list and its performance on Elaine Lucia's debut album reflects the title, "jazz and other things".
…Lucia handles all of these "other things" as well as the jazz with ease and elegance. Just as important, she stays under control throughout, never losing contact with her fellow musicians and keeping on target with the point she is making with each of her interpretations. That her phrasing and intonation are impeccable helps considerably. Much of the technical strength comes from her early training in classical voice before moving on to country, rock and settling in jazz - - In sum, armed with all the requisite technical and interpretative tools, Lucia brings a bright, fresh approach to this material…On "Key Largo", Lucia holds the last note longer than usual, letting her voice drift away. A nice touch. Drifting seems to be a major theme on this album as the same feeling pervades Bob Dorough's "Small Day Tomorrow" where the intricate bass strumming of Pierre Archain complements Lucia's interpretation of this song…This maiden album features challenging arrangements of worthwhile material performed by top drawer musicians. This album is recommended. -- Dave Nathan, All Music Guide

Elaine Lucia is in the vein of song stylists like Sade and Diana Krall: taking the material they are given, reworking the feel, and giving what might have been a familiar number a completely different emotion. Featuring guest Bud Shank on saxophone, "Sings Jazz And Other Things" gives Elaine Lucia a chance to take on her favorite songs, give them an upbeat twist, and make an album that is sure to bring a smile to your face.  – Here’s Music in Review (E-zine)