If you visit one of my main sources for musical inspirations and potential records for reviews, cdbaby, regularly you may have stumbled across Amy Banks, who so far has released an album of soulful and jazzy renditions of spirituals and an album of jazz inflected Christmas songs. While both, spirituals and seasonal songs may be an acquired taste, I’m sure Amy’s recent jazz album will appeal to most of my readers at once.
Amy’s enthusiasm for music is surely inherited with both her parents being music education majors. Amy started playing piano and French horn and singing in the school choir early. As an adult she finally made her professional stage debut in the musical Little Shop Of Horrors. Other engagements followed, she even sang on a daily basis in Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, and an engagement at the American Music Theater eventually lead to her move to Lancester, Pennsylvania, where Amy still lives and pursues her solo career as jazz singer. And if the album When The Sun Comes Out is an indication of what we can expect from Amy we will certainly hear more from her in the future.
On this album Amy focuses on the well-known standards with a few surprises thrown in for variety like Phoebe Snow’s Poetry Man, a cover of Michael McDonald’s It Keeps You Runnin’ and one original compostion. Amy is accompanied by fine musicians like Steve Rudolph, Allen Farnham (piano), Steve Varner (bass), Rich De Rosa (drums) and Tim Warfield (saxophone) who create a flawless and inspiring musical background to Amy’s rich soprano voice. And if you think you have it heard all before, a woman singing standards, well, then listen to Amy singing Billie Holiday’s Lover Man. She really gets into the lyrics and the vibes solo by Tony Miceli adds a haunting effect to the singer’s soulful longing. I only wish Tony would’ve appeared on more songs.
Amy’s version of Carmichael’s I Get Along Without You Very Well (Except Sometimes) is further proof that she adopts a song to make it her own. Just like her reading of the story of the other women who turns into a sultry vamp with a giggling teen-age crush when she’s with the Poetry Man. Tim Warfield’s saxophone solo adds further magic to this song.
But Amy’s not only at home with the ballads and downtempo songs. There’s a nice swinging version of How High The Moon and the inspiring midtempo original Ruined For The Rest, written by Amy and Steve Rudolph, that sees Amy in a cheerful mood. With such a good original Amy will hopefully explore her songwriting skills on future releases.
“Oh, I know how you feel/ Hey, you know I been there” from the excellent rendition of It Keeps You Running is actually a good description of Amy’s approach to singing. She’s the one you can run to and trust when your lover has left you and you’re yearning for love to happen, she’s the one who’ll understand you and will cheer you up.
Amy’s third, self-released and self-produced album When The Sun Comes Out is a fine step into the jazz circuit from a talented singer, who provides you with continuous listening pleasures on this album.

Tracklisting of When The Sun Comes Out: 1. How High the Moon/ 2. Poetry Man/ 3. Devil May Care/ 4. When the Sun Comes Out/ 5. I Get Along Without You Very Well (Except Sometimes)/ 6. It Keeps You Runnin’/ 7. Foul Play/ 8. Ruined For the Rest/ 9. Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be?)/ 10. Skylark | released 2004 Amy Banks

For more infos visit amybanksonline.com and cdbaby.com.

[If you want to discuss Amy Banks music, you can leave your comment below and also use the forum]