Debut CD it may be, but we cabaretophiles filed into Birdland Jazz Club and first heard Hilary Kole there several years ago (and in Our Sinatra). Back then, I thought the Hilary artillery was simply surface-skimming singin’, great guns with a pretty sound and confident air, end of story. My, how she’s grown! My two cents is that the voice is still bright as a penny but can turn on a dime and, to coin a phrase, she can phrase a lyric to make it seem newly minted. There is a maturity and a deep well of feeling in ballads, with the yearning in “Like a Lover” unspooled slowly and dreamily. She reveals the complexity in “Haunted Heart” (Dietz/Schwartz). Her uptempos remain blithe and breezy, the sound of a smile, but are enhanced by the swing-ing little band. I wish the stingy producer (John Pizzarelli) had permitted more solos from the superb guitarist (the same John Pizzarelli). A major asset here is versatile and creative pianist Tedd Firth, often fascinating, playing subtext and deepening moods and tension in supportive yet surprising ways. Kole takes the keys herself on “Blackberry Winter,” a rendition that combines the heartbreak and mature realization in this Alec Wilder/Loonis McGlohon gem. Tom Waits’ “Old Boyfriends” shows more reflection and conflict. Another skill is a slight slyness that slips comfortably into the light-hearted songs. Case in point: “’Deed I Do.” Do I dig it? ‘Deed I do.

Rob Lester
Cabaret Scenes
September 2009
www.cabaretscenes.org