Seldom do you hear a voice as gorgeous as that of Dawn Aitken. Unadorned, clear, cool, yet rich, sensual and warm. Aitken’s range is terrific, her pacing perfect and her taste in tunes impeccable. Take the tile track, Be Cool, a loving cover on par with Joni Mitchell’s original. Other great voices resonate in hers: tones of Phoebe Snow here, touches of Shirley Eikhard there.
If you picked up “Welcome Home”, the jazz compilation album at LCBO checkouts this fall, then you’ve already heard Aitken yearning through Hoagy Carmichaels’ The Nearness of You, which leads off this CD. She brings the same passion and vitality to other jazz standards here, including Ellington’s Do Nothin Till You Hear From Me, Arlen's Somewhere Over The Rainbow, and Cahn’s Until the Real thing Comes Along. Aitken also kick raw power on the blues standard Cold, Cold Feelin and revs up Love Potion #9 with lust for life. My personal fave? Her achingly beautiful When The Fire Goes Out.
Now calling Vancouver home, Aitken honed her musical skills in Toronto’s radio jingle business and Chicago jazz clubs. Released with little fanfare earlier this year, this disc showcases pure talent. Hard to believe a singer this good could slip under the radar, but industry hype goes to artists signed to labels. Fortunately, Aitken doesn’t need hype; she only needs you to listen, and you’ll be hooked like me.