ANDY BEY
PAGES FROM AN IMAGINARY LIFE
HIGH NOTE
2014
Andy Bey has a high position on my shortlist of favorite living Jazz vocalists, even though his discography is disappointingly thin. He also appears to be full of surprises like D’Angelo when his record company released Pages from an Imaginary Life late last year.
The album is textbook Andy Bey: introspective vocals with simmering emotions running through them; surprising vocal inflections; an intimately beautiful and wide baritone range which can make you think he made an album of personal stories for your ears only.
Bey will melt your speakers with “My Foolish Heart”—slowly of course—and “I’ve Got a Right to Sing the Blues” hits you with a mournful Gospel style which manages to never bring your spirits down. Valentine’s Day is around the corner, and “Everything I Have is Yours” is a tune you want to put on your sweetie’s playlist. Among his other feats, Bey turned in one of the best performances of “Good Morning Heartache” I ever heard. Bey’s solo piano accompaniment throughout the album executes its mission here—to place Bey’s beautiful vocals into focus. This post is not meant to be a formal album review, so I will keep my commentary brief and add that I found no major wrongs to right on the 15 track album.
At the risk of sounding selfish, I think Bey needs to make more albums (laughing). But I’m willing to wait for when he’s ready to share them with the world…
mentalunrest.com 
I did not know him before, but your post makes me think that I definitely have to check out this record. Thanks for sharing!
Anytime. Thanks for stopping by, jazztraveler!
The World According to Andy Bey and American Song are great albums as well. You can’t go wrong with any of his releases…