Critics raved about her astonishing talent. In Time magazine, Terry Teachout wrote: "Kendra Shank's delectable voice--warm-toned, fine-grained, quietly sexy--sets her well apart from the crowd, as does her knack for picking unhackneyed, slightly off-center material. The up-tempo tunes swing hard; the ballads shimmer and shine. Get in on the ground floor: this lady is going up." And Will Friedwald wrote in the Village Voice: " Shank is supremely talented, innovative and at the same time readily accessible. There's no one else quite like her."

Bob Blumenthal, in The Boston Globe, in an article titled Top 10 CD - "Reflections"), wrote: "This vocalist makes lyrics believable, invents like an instrumentalist, and has an ear second to none for little-known and unknown tunes. ...Shank is that rarity among jazz vocalists, a risk taker who stays in tune. Her voice is dark and haunting, and she prefers subtle variations to overly demonstrative embellishments. She also functions like a true equal with her excellent rhythm section..." Los Angeles Times' Don Heckman was equally impressed. He wrote: ""...a standout...a unique and immediately identifiable sound and style. ...Her renderings of songs often took a reconstructive path, as she disassembled phrases, then reassembled them in her own imaginative fashion...the results were remarkable--the original flow of words and music still present, but recast into a form that brought new illumination to the story and the song. If there's any justice in the music world, you should be hearing Kendra Shank's name--along with the superb music she makes--a lot more."

 

MORE GLOWING REVIEWS? Get these:

"...(a) striking presence...her musicianship is powerful." Nat Hentoff, WALL STREET JOURNAL

"A superbly skilled vocalist, Ms. Shank interprets jazz and pop liberally, but with an abiding respect for melody." -Nate Chinen, NEW YORK TIMES (Critic's Choice) .

"...one of the most probing and inspired romanticists in jazz." -Gene Seymour, NEWSDAY (Top 10 CD - "Reflections")

"The precociously talented Kendra Shank is among the best of the great young jazz vocalists to emerge in the 1990's. 'Wish' is a multigeneric masterpiece." -John Swenson, ROLLING STONE JAZZ & BLUES ALBUM GUIDE (5 stars, top rating - "Wish")

"...uniquely seductive and captivating...her voice envelopes you like cool, soft sheets."-Marc Fisher, WASHINGTON POST

Enough glowing reviews? I think so!

WHAT IS SO SPECIAL ABOUT KENDRA SHANK?

A charmingly sensitive vocal projection and unusual interpretation of ballads characterize the unmatched style of Ms. Kendra Shank. True, a singer must follow the musical notes and perform in sync with the band, to achieve harmony and vocal-musical equilibrium. Shank is fully aware of this dogmatic rule. But she goes one step further. A daring one. Unlike other singers, Shank metamorphoses with the tempo. Meaning, she is NOT enslaved by band rhythmics and rigidly dictated norms. She transcends the moment. In  a sense she brilliantly creates the MOMENTUM for vocal virtuosity and musical beauty. Difficult to elucidate this mysterious and uncommon talent of hers. In other words, her voice is richer than the music, and her personal interpretation adds an extra dimension to the true meaning of the lyrics. Shank's voice breathes in a musical cadence unheard before. She lives her songs and her songs in return come to life in a most truthful and intimately innovative way. And that's magic. Nobody, no one can duplicate this originality. She sets the rules for personal improvisation, original interpretation and daring vocal creativity. Only one person in the history of music dared to parallel her genius and her "creation". Carlos Gardel, the king of the Tango Argentino. Ms. Shank is sublime, powerful, yet honestly warm. Ms. Shank has a lot of imagination, but this imagination rides perfectly with a mesmerizing vocal freshness, brilliant mastery of time, and a recreation of that nostalgic story-telling ambiance rarely felt on stage or heard on tape. This woman is a phenomenon, a pioneer of creativity...a national treasure. Continues next