Tag Archives: Hot Indie News

Matthew Fogg & Nicole Hajj: Live At The Azure Cafe – Music Review

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by Liz Singer from www.hotindienews.com, posted December 15, 2008

Matt Fogg & Nicole Hajj - Live At The Azure Cafe

Throughout “Live at the Azure Cafe”, the latest album by Matthew Fogg and Nicole Hajj, Hajj’s voice is crystal-clear and stunningly jazzy, while Fogg’s piano skills are solidly spectacular. On “Cry Me a River,” the instrumental introduction makes you feel like you’re in the middle of a dream as the melody takes you to a faraway place. And once the vocals kick in, it becomes clear that these musicians’ talents are ones to be reckoned with.

“It Never Entered My Mind” mixes it up with a funky-fresh intro, toe-tapping beat, and upbeat, airy mood; it sounds like you’re like stepping onto the city streets early in the morning, ready to take on the day. Hajj’s voice dazzles through and through, sounding exactly like the amazingly sweet voice of Eva Cassidy. Between the wonderful vocals and almost-too-perfect instrumental riffs, I honestly couldn’t decide which I loved more.

With its strumming bass intro, “Twisted” is classic jazz at its best. My favorite track, though, is a remake of Norah Jones’ “The Nearness of You.” A personal favorite song of mine, I absolutely fell in love with this slightly slower, jazzier rendition. Both voice and keys are 100% “on,” and it’ll be no surprise when this duo reaches a similar fate as Norah herself.

On “Night & Day,” Hajj’s vocals continued to give me goose bumps as she hit higher, breathier notes, singing emotional lyrics about love. And on “Summertime,” her voice is as cool as a cold glass of lemonade, singing, “Summertime and the livin’ is easy.”

Slower and jazzier than ever, this track proves that even a jazz duo can create a diverse, eclectic album that constantly keeps listeners guessing about what they’re about to hear next.

From beginning to end, “Live at the Azure Cafe” proves the versatility of both Matthew Fogg and Nicole Hajj, as they skillfully re-create timeless songs to better fit their own talents and turn the old into something new, and—as is the case here— even better than the originals.

Morgan Fogg & Grimmet: This Is What You Want – Indie Music Review

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from Hot Indie News by Darkside

Morgan Fogg and Grimmett - This Is What You Want

This Is What You Want by Morgan Fogg and Grimmett is best described as having three sections: vocals, lyrics and musicianship. These three distinct categories are varied stylistically and in terms of talent, which makes for an interesting melange, and an engaging (if occassionally confusing) listen.

Starting off with lyrics, this album has Christian-based lyrics counterpointed with songs about booze. The idea of lyrics reflecting Christian ideas is an ingenious one, though occasionally seemingly out of place. The songs with lyrics, however, happen to be exquisetly crafted, and singer Cheri Gaudet Grimmett does a good job of integrating them into the album’s sound.

Ms. Grimmett sounds like a lounge singer, and does that title a service. Initially, her voiced sounded strained, as if she were attempting to pull off ‘smoky’ (which, if she was trying to do, she failed at), but as the album progresses, she seems to settle into her own style with a beautiful, sonorous, controlled voice. By the penultimate song, “Go Down Moses”, she has firmly and smoothly integrated herself into the sound of the album.

The music throughout is superb. Fogg’s Fender Rhodes, Carl Dimow’s flute, and Brad Terry’s clarinet all shine throughout the album; they are all magnificently played, and have impressive solos throughout.

The highlight of the album, however, is Matt Fogg on the piano. Fogg has spent a lifetime creating music, first as a trumpeteer, later moving onto piano. His expertise as a jazz pianist is obvious from the first note, and is consistently held. Furthermore, he posses a range that is simply astonishing- he adeptly changes styles, from restaurant-jazz (background music that you start paying attention to) to true blues-style, and everything in between.