Jazz LP Review: Lyn Stanley's The Moonlight Sessions Vol.1

I've just played Lyn Stanley's latest jazz vocal, Moonlight Sessions vol.1, on 180g 45 rpm vinyl. It is outstanding from both a musical and sonic perspective. If I had to describe Stanley's musical approach in one word, that word would be intimate. I found myself imagining a smoky after-hours club where I sat nursing a drink and wounded feelings while being consoled by a torch singer who made me believe I was the only person she was singing to - and that she understood. Her intonation is precise, her pitch perfect, and her technique is always appropriate for the emotion she seeks to convey. So far, my favorites include Willow Weep for Me, Moonlight Serenade, My Funny Valentine, How Insensitive, and In the Wee Small Hours. The sonics are spectacular, as you would expect from recording engineer Al Schmitt and mastering engineer Bernie Grundman. But there is another trick up this LP's sleeve: the "one step" pressing process that cuts two generations out of the record making chain. I can see this becoming standard fare at audio show demonstrations, and will be in heavy rotation at my place for the foreseeable future.