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Nikki [Nikki Yanofsky]

Nikki Yanofsky
1 disc

1. Take the 'A' Train
2. Never Make It on Time
3. I Got Rhythm
4. For Another Day
5. God Bless the Child
6. Cool My Heels
7. You'll Have to Swing It (Mr. Paganini)
8. Bienvenue Dans Ma Vie
9. First Lady
10. On the Sunny Side of the Street/Fool in the Rain
11. Grey Skies
12. Try Try Try
13. Over the Rainbow
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Additional Info

Manufacturer Part Number (MPN): B001413802
Credits

Producer
Engineer
With Norah Jones choosing to pursue a career as a Bohemian singer/songwriter (and Nellie McKay revealing herself to be too artfully camp to even consider the mainstream), the door was wide open for a singer like Nikki Yanofsky: a bright, cheerful jazz-pop traditionalist happy to sing those old songs once again. And so she does on here 2010 debut, Nikki, produced in tandem by the legendary Phil Ramone and Jesse Harris, the guitarist/songwriter who came to prominence via his work on Jones' debut Come Away with Me, where he penned her breakthrough hit "Don't Know Why." Harris performs a similar function on Yanofsky's debut, co-writing the bulk of the non-classics here with the assistance of Ron Sexsmith and Yanofsky herself, crafting smooth, assured soft rock that's of a piece with the sultriness of Come Away with Me (with the notable exception of the cabaret swing of "Bienvenue Dans Ma Vie"). But Nikki Yanofsky is clearly not Norah Jones: she possesses a puppy-dog eagerness that jibes with her 16 years, happy to perform and please. There's an innate brightness to her persona that is beguiling, particularly when she's singing those numbers written with Harris and Sexsmith, songs that feel timeless and contemporary and take full advantage of her sunny nature. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Critic Reviews

Down Beat (p.66) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[NIKKI] has the singer joined by a high-energy big band for a varied set including several smartly recalibrated standards."
JazzTimes (p.73) - "Yanofsky covers 'Over the Rainbow' and replicates the explosive energy of Judy's 'I Got Rhythm' from 1943's GIRL CRAZY."
Record Collector (magazine) (p.91) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "She's got a fine voice and the album certainly lives up to the PR hyperbole."