"Back in 2007 I reviewed London based jazz/soul singer Zena James’ début recording “Tell Me More”, a highly accomplished first album made in the company of an excellent band. Three years on James is back with “Captivated” …It’s an original, “Captivated”, that opens the album with James’ sultry, soulful vocals combining with Taggart’s funky Rhodes and Hammond plus Allen’s smoky sax….. skilfully done with a confident vocal and tasty instrumental solos. On “Gypsy In My Soul” James delivers another strong soul/jazz performance.

James and her band deliver a persuasive after hours version of the Michael Jackson hit “Human Nature”. The second James/Taggart original is “You Move Me” which pairs James’ seductive vocal with Bettison’s liquid bass groove.

Rob Taggart’s arrangement of Glen Ballard and Sananda Maitreya’s 2001 song “Shadows” adds Bradley’s hip hop grooves to the familiar pop/soul/jazz elements. It’s the most contemporary sounding song on the album and suggests that James could enjoy considerable crossover success given the right breaks.

The inclusion of Stevie Wonder’s “I Can Only Be Me” acknowledges James’ soul background.  She turns in a particularly impressive performance in this beautiful arrangement for just voice and piano. Taggart’s sensitive accompaniment deserves praise too.

 "Captivated proves a compelling combination of the sophistication of jazz and the emotional directness of soul, made more potent by a soupçon of funk flavouring thrown into the mix. Zena's choice of material is similarly eclectic; she applies a contemporary makeover to a mixture of jazz standards and vintage songs but also includes her own versions of songs penned by Stevie Wonder and the UK blue-eyed soul man, Lewis Taylor."

"A triple play from Zena James - love it to bits.......you'll be hearing a lot more from this album over the coming weeks at Smooth FM"

"A new British jazz talent worth listening out for is Zena James, whose debut album is an impressive opus..."

Charles Waring, Record Collector, April 2007

“A fine, delightfully understated debut album…her voice has a light rarified tone and quietly clear diction that projects a sense of intimacy”

"All 12 tracks are emminently listenable....a consistently stylish entertainer....I hope there is ample room on the jazz scene for Zena James."

"Lovely warm, sultry voice...engrossing set of considered classics...top class"

“An excellent production…Zena’s version of ‘Throw it Away’ deserves to have ‘hit’ written all over it”

Brian Blain, Jazz UK, August 2007

"A relative newcomer to the crowded field of young female jazz singers, Zena James is - on the evidence of her album Tell Me More - distinguished by a readiness to apply her smooth yet emotive delivery to less obvious material. She also has a couple of compelling originals."

"A very good debut from a fine young singer....appealing fizz ....it's quality stuff."

"Tell Me More - A really great debut album."

"Look out for her...an impressive debut album...a convincing vocal storyteller."

"In an increasingly crowded field, Zena James more than holds her own on this, her debut album. Her voice has a flexible strength particularly well suited to soul- and gospel-laced material (here best represented by Smoky Robinson's 'Who's Lovin; You?' but also apparent in the bluesy renditions of Billie Holiday's 'Fine and Mellow' and Billy Myles' 'My Love Is') but she is also capable of more restrained grace and poise ('You've Changed' is addressed with touching drama; Abbey Lincoln's 'Throw it Away' with thoughtful dignity). Well served by a gutsily sympathetic band - saxophonist Simon Allen, bassist Geoff Gascoyne , drummer Mike Bradley and keyboard player Geoff Castle, James sounds the real deal; relaxed and informally intimate yet unaffectedly musical, with an intelligent approach to the familiar lyric ('You're My Thrill', 'Blue Skies') and a good ear for a neglected or taken-for-granted classic. A fine appetiser for what promises to be a powerful live act."

www.vortexjazz.co.uk

LondonJazz Live Review - Cafe in the Crypt Concert
September 1st 2010

The crypt at St. Martin-in-the-Fields kicked off its “Jazz at the Crypt” series on Wednesday with Zena James and her band. It was also the pre-release show for Zena's new album “Captivated,” which comes out later this year.

Zena is a great lover of jazz, R&B and soul and her voice reflects the wide range of moods of the music. She loves it, imitates it and enjoys the subtleties of it. She can have playful phrasing, as in the opening number “Why Don't You Do Right” and “Gypsy In My Soul”, she can be calm (“Small Day Tomorrow”) and she can be seductive (“You Make Me Wanna”). Then there are moments where Zena will just tilt her head back and and immerse herself in the music, like she did during “You Move Me”, one of two songs of her own that she sang during the show.

Accompanying her was the band that played on the album, apart from pianist Mike Guy who took the place of her usual pianist Rob Taggart. Mike's lines were focused and well-crafted especially on “That Old Black Magic” and “Human Nature.”

Bassist Patrick Bettison kept the band grounded with groovy riffs (“My Love Is” in particular). Simon Allen as the accompanying sax player played strongly, though I found his playing at times over-aggressive. Drummer Mike Bradley provided great textured drumming, especially on the hi-hat. His solos were particularly exciting.

I'm not sure if it was the sound system or the crypt's stone walls and floor, but Zena's full vocal range didn't come through. It does on the album, where she can sound intimate and warm. For example, when she reached for high notes, they came soaring through, but whispering low notes didn't come through on the speakers to where I was sitting very well. It's wonderful on her albums and it would perhaps be more apparent in a venue that isn't made of stone.

Robert O'Connor is a freelance journalist and writer from St. Paul, Minnesota. His work has appeared in the Twin Cities Daily Planet, Hot Press Magazine, NewCity Chicago and KFAI.