Lisa Bell grew up singing jazz from the time she was 6 years old and worked for different musical projects in Kansas and Colorado before releasing her first solo album, Dare to Be, in 2002. While her first CD was dedicated to classic jazz songs, the songs on her second and new album, It's All About Love, are all new material.

In addition to her autobiographical songs, Bell includes two songs from the 87-year-old jazz composer Edward Greenbaum, L.K. Hill's "When I Wish" and the beautiful samba "Don't Wait Forever," written by her longtime pianist John Armstrong.

Bell is one of those female jazz singers that perform in the jazz-pop crossover field. She has been inspired by singers like Aretha Franklin, Roberta Flack, Bobby McFerrin and Norah Jones.

Her singing is backed by top musicians from her home state of Colorado and the line-up also features the core instruments piano, bass, drums, guitar and percussion, several guest appearances of wind instruments (trumpet, flute flugelhorn and saxophone), a string quartet, Dobro and pedal steel guitar.

The romantic title track "It's All About Love" was inspired by a phone call with her producer, Bell says. Actually, she focused the theme of the whole album around love, and thus the songs are smooth and the music is best consumed in special moments. Armstrong's samba recalls the classic Brazilian jazz of Stan Getz and Astrud Gilberto, and Greenbaum's "She's Not Right for You" brings in some original swing rhythms and gives Bell the opportunity to show the wide range of her voice. Other highlights are Bell's playful and surprising variation of a traditional children song, "Mary Had a Little Plan," and Gabriel Mark Hasselbach's "When You Look for Love."

Bell's singing is divine and her soft voice goes very well with this chill-out sound, as well as with the more jazzy and bluesy songs. The CD is an excellent mixture of different styles of jazz music interpreted by some great musicians.

[ visit Lisa Bell's website ]