Album Review of
Live at Maureen’s Jazz Cellar

Written by Joe Ross
July 11, 2020 - 11:50pm EDT
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With graceful, evocative assurance, Tania Grubbs delivers lyrics in superlative fashion. Accompanied by piano, guitar, drums and bass, Grubbs presents a varied, entertaining set that thoughtfully emphasizes beautifully sublime, tuneful moods to distinguish her vocal styling. For example, her self-penned “Hope is the Thing with Feathers” has relaxed sophistication, while the band swings with no-holds up-tempo energy to cover Charlie Parker’s “Ornithology.” Live albums have a special way of capturing an evening’s energy and excitement, and this disc is no exception. The occasional applause doesn’t detract. Keeping the music both entertaining and tight, we hear dreamy numbers like “The Peacocks,” a bluesy “Don’t Take Your Love From Me” and a jazzy remake of “Wichita Lineman.” Grubbs’ renditions of Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon” and Joni Mitchell’s “Love” demonstrate the symbiotic relationship between good singers and songs.  With her mostly mellow repertoire, Grubbs’ voice emerges as an irresistible force of emotion and clarity.   (Joe Ross, Roots Music Report)