Carsie Blanton
Not Old, Not New
Reviewed by: Lara Supan
Get ready to fall in love with jazz again (if you ever fell out of it in the first place).
Carsie Blanton delivers a playful album of iconic honkey-tonk jazz tunes that will have you leaning back in your easy chair in no time. With her light, straight toned melodies, Blanton will have you thinking she’s just another instrument in the vast array of jazz instrumentation found on Not Old, Not New. Delivered straight forward, each of these tunes have clear vocals with words that are easily understandable and important, at the same time that the melodic line is obviously what’s driving the songs. Each song has a touted soloist on their instrument of choice, ranging from jazz clarinet and harmon muted trumpet, to piano and vibe solos.
Blanton pulls off something quite difficult with this collection of tunes- she makes classic songs sound like they were written yesterday, while still paying homage to the history behind them. With titans like “Do You Know What it Means To Miss New Orleans” and “I’ll Be Seeing You” in the mix, she keeps the tunes straight away and her tone pristine as glass, creating a Nina Simone/Bille Holiday style that hasn’t been heard for years. Blanton’s delivery would make you think that anyone can sing jazz, but with a robust knowledge of the genre, the reality is quite the opposite. The entire album is a success, not a single song outshines the other, and all of them fit together to create a wonderful compilation.
This album couldn’t be titled better. These timeless tunes are not old because of Blanton’s beautiful renditions, however they have the depth of time behind them that makes it obvious they are certainly not new. Fall in love with the simplicity, clarity and innocence of New Orleans jazz, as well as Carsie Blanton, with her killer new addition!
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