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Kat Edmonson - Dreamers Do
by Kevin Wierzbicki
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Here's an interesting concept album from jazz vocalist Edmonson, all about the things that might be experienced from the moment your head hits the pillow until you greet the next morning. The effort begins with Edmonson singing the hopeful affirmation that is "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" before coaxing slumber with a reading of the lullaby "Go To Sleep," employing a tone that conveys innocence and security, like a mother's loving goodnight to her wee one. It's not long after that that the dreaming begins in earnest, as Edmonson floats listeners through a delightful nightscape conjured up by "In a World of My Own," a mysterious sounding "When You Wish Upon a Star" and the standout from the "Mary Poppins" film, "Chim Cher-ee." Edmonson's back-up band is really swinging on "Someone's in the House," the album's one hint at the dark side of a dream, but they wax sublime for Kat's reading of "Very Good Advice," perhaps a nod to the fact that dreams are supposed to be an attempted reconciling of one's lingering issues. There are quite a few brief instrumental interludes between the vocal selections, again perhaps referencing the dream state where the action changes at the bat of a drowsy eyelid. "All I Do is Dream of You," the understated "Be Careful How You Wish" and "The Second Star to the Right" lead up to closing number "The Age of Not Believing" with delicate guitar work from guest Bill Frisell, which in keeping with the album's theme would be an awesome way to rejoin the waking world.
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