Kate Reid - 'The Love I'm In'

It’s impossible not to fall in love with Kate Reid from the moment the first notes escape her lips on her latest CD, The Love I’m In. This jazz singer and pianist is a very in demand performer thanks to her smoldering delivery of great jazz standard lyrics. She’s appeared alongside legends like Rosemary Clooney, Paul Anka, Liza Minelli and Tito Puente among others, and it’s easy to see why after listening to this record.

The Love I’m In is a collection of tunes from the Great American Songbook. Reid samples everything from swing pieces (“The Lamp Is Low” and “Nice & Easy”) to sumptuous ballads (“Where Do You Start” and “I’m Through With Love”) and body-swaying Latin numbers (“Close Enough For Love”). Her distinctive approach puts a spotlight on every track as listeners fall spellbound to her velvety smooth style and phrasing. Genuine talent like this cannot be taught; it is something you are born with and learn to refine with time. Reid has the uncanny ability to embody what she is singing, and thus you never doubt her authenticity.

Thankfully, production on this album encourages an intimacy with its listeners. Although she’s accompanied by incredibly dynamic musicians including pianist Otmaro Ruiz, tenor saxophonist Ernie Watts, bassist Chris Conner, drummer Steve Barnes and husband Steve Reid on the trumpet (with Reid herself playing piano on most of the CD), the volume ebbs and flows so as not to overpower her vocals or clutter the sound with unnecessary noise. This results in a comforting connection with audiences that is simply breathtaking.

As the title suggests, this 12-piece set manages to somehow capture the vastly different stages of love, an often difficult task considering the constant state of flux surrounding this emotion. But Reid magically corrals sensitivity and tenderness in this sweeping epic that takes us from love at first sight to breakups and the most important kind of love – self love. My personal favorites are the teasingly seductive “Just Squeeze Me”; “Where Do You Start,” a melancholic promise of better times to come; and “Nice and Easy” where Reid’s scatting prowess leaves you clamoring for more.

It’s no wonder Kate Reid is considered one of the best jazz singers out of California today. Her contributions to the jazz world, and female jazz singers, and musicians in particular, make her deserving of wider recognition. If she continues to put out records like The Love I’m In, it’s only a matter of time before the rest of the world falls in love with her.

For more information on The Love I’m In, please visit Kate Reid’s website.