Review in Jersey Jazz Journal
September 4, 2015
The September 2015 issue of Jersey Jazz includes this review by Joe Lang:
Take a look at the list of songs on Just You, Just Me (Wayfae Music – 151) and you would think that this is a lot of the same old same old with a few newer songs tossed in to let the listener know that the singer is hip to more recent music.
Well KAREN MARGUTH has a different frame of mind. First she is a lady of courage, having as her sole accompanist bassist Kevin Hill. Second she brings a fresh approach to songs like “You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To,” “Just You, Just Me,” “I’m Beginning to See the Light,” “Love’s Got Me in a Lazy Mood,” “I Got It Bad (and That Ain’t Good),” “Imagination” and “It’s All Right with Me.” The title of the last of these describes Marguth’s greatest asset, her imagination. Yes, she has a pleasant voice, but her phrasing and sensitivity to the lyrics sets her apart as a special singer. Having the added imagination of Hill makes the whole experience that much fuller. Perhaps this comes through most clearly in the way they put across “Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gave to Me.”
As to the other selections, Marguth has made interesting choices. There are not many current performers who would dig into the catalog of Nellie Lutcher, and if they do, it would normally result in their choosing “Hurry on Down,” “He’s a Real Gone Guy” or “Fine Brown Frame.” Marguth opted to sing “Baby, What’s Your Alibi,” and she makes it a saucy pleasure. To fill out the program, she chose Phoebe Snow’s “Harpo’s Blues” and a song by Richard Jones, father of Rickie Lee Jones, “The Moon Is Made of Gold.”
Whatever song she sings, Marguth gives it an individual spin, and does so with satisfying results. The disc is short by today’s standards, only 37 minutes of music, but when it is this choice, you can just hit the play again button, and double your pleasure.
Jersey Jazz, the journal of the New Jersey Jazz Society, is published monthly eleven times a year with a combined July/August summer edition. Jersey Jazz is with filled with feature articles, photos, a comprehensive guide to the state’s jazz clubs and other performance venues, CD and performance reviews, upcoming events and news about the New Jersey Jazz Society.
Hill and Marguth