Glamoured is a studio album by American jazz singer Cassandra Wilson. The record was released on the Blue Note label in 2003.

Glamoured
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 7, 2003
RecordedDecember 2002 – March 2003
StudioSonic Temple, Jackson, MS
GenreJazz
Length53:25
LabelBlue Note
ProducerCassandra Wilson, Fabrizio Sotti
Cassandra Wilson chronology
Sings Standards
(2002)
Glamoured
(2003)
Thunderbird
(2006)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
All About Jazz(favorable)[2]
The Buffalo News[3]
Entertainment Weekly(A-)[4]
JazzTimes(favorable)[5]
laut.de[6]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz[7]
Rhapsody(favorable)[8]
Vibe[9]

Reception edit

Thom Jurek of AllMusic wrote: "On Glamoured, Wilson composed half the album, and her songs are as provocative and deserve the same weight of grace critically afforded her covers. She uses her trademark fluid, smoky delivery to redefine songs such as the old soul nugget 'If Loving You Is Wrong'; the poignancy it was written with tells of a woman lost in the delirium of a forbidden love with a married man. The ache and euphoria in her voice shot through with producer Fabrizio Sotti's stunning acoustic guitar interplay is nearly overwhelming in its emotion."[1] Nick Dedina of Napster commented: "The name of this album refers to those under a spell, which is exactly the effect of this hypnotizing mix of jazz, blues and folk. Recording again in her native Mississippi, Wilson works her magic over interwoven guitars and tribal drums on vivid originals and covers, including a ribald take on Bob Dylan's 'Lay Lady Lay'."[10] The Buffalo News review by Jeff Simon noted, "Cassandra Wilson is clearly one of the finest jazz singers to emerge from her generation. But it is with live performance that she has made her mark in the jazz world; there, she becomes an improviser non pareil, at once echoing the giants who came before her and suggesting an individual ethic oddly and idiosyncratically beautiful."[3]

A reviewer of NPR added: "On her latest album, Glamoured, Wilson applies her rich, husky voice to a variety of musical genres."[11] A reviewer of Dusty Groove noted: "Don't let the title put you off, because Cassandra Wilson's sounding as soulful as ever – with none of the fluff that you might think from an album called "Glamoured"! The sound is mellow and laidback, with a group that includes Wilson on guitar, alongside a few other guitarists, percussion, and even a bit of harmonica. The instrumentation gives the album a warm and earthy feel that works well with Wilson's vocals."[12]

Track listing edit

All tracks composed by Cassandra Wilson; except where indicated

  1. "Fragile" (Sting) — 4:37
  2. "Sleight of Time" — 4:12
  3. "I Want More" (Fabrizio Sotti, Wilson) — 4:21
  4. "If Loving You Is Wrong" (Homer Banks, Carl Hampton, Raymond Jackson) — 5:29
  5. "Lay Lady Lay" (Bob Dylan) — 5:08
  6. "Crazy" (Willie Nelson) — 3:02
  7. "What Is It?" — 3:19
  8. "Heaven Knows" — 5:06
  9. "Honey Bee" (Muddy Waters) — 4:48
  10. "Broken Drum" — 4:14
  11. "On This Train" (Fabrizio Sotti, Wilson) — 4:37
  12. "Throw It Away" (Abbey Lincoln) — 4:36

Personnel edit

Production notes

  • Cassandra Wilson – producer
  • Fabrizio Sotti – producer
  • Bruce Lundvall – executive producer
  • Sean Macke – engineer
  • Eric Butler – engineer, mixing
  • Chris Athens – mastering
  • Peter Doris – assistant engineer
  • Kent Bruce – assistant engineer
  • Gordon Jee – creative director, creative design
  • Judy Jefferson – production coordination
  • Donald Thomas – production coordination
  • Naomi Kaltman – photography

Chart positions edit

Year Chart Position
2003 Billboard Heatseekers 16
2004 Billboard Top Jazz Albums 2

References edit

  1. ^ a b Glamoured at AllMusic
  2. ^ Perciaccante, Mike (2004-01-06). "Cassandra Wilson: Glamoured". All About Jazz.
  3. ^ a b Jeff, Simon (October 10, 2003). "Music Discs". The Buffalo News. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  4. ^ Larry, Blumenfeld (2003-10-10). "Glamoured". EW.com. Retrieved 2019-09-20.
  5. ^ Murph, John (2016-03-03). "Cassandra Wilson Glamoured". jazztimes.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2019-09-20.
  6. ^ Kopp, Kai. "Gutbürgerliche Jazz-Kost an einem Blues-Jus" (in German). laut.de. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  7. ^ Cook, Richard. The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings : Cook, Richard : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming. p. 1387. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  8. ^ Dedina, Nick (2003-10-07). "Glamoured by Cassandra Wilson". Napster. Retrieved 2019-09-20.
  9. ^ Badu, Erykah (November 2003). "Revolutions". Vibe. Vol. 11, no. 11. Vibe Media Group. p. 148. ISSN 1070-4701.
  10. ^ Dedina, Nick. "Glamoured – Cassandra Wilson". napster.com. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  11. ^ "Music Review: 'Glamoured' from Cassandra Wilson". NPR. October 15, 2003. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  12. ^ "Cassandra Wilson: Glamoured". Dusty Groove. Retrieved 15 January 2019.