A while back I was roaming around Manifest Records here in Charlotte and I came across a couple of used CDs by a lady named Paula West. I had seen them in the bins for a few months but had always passed them by.
On this day, there was a BOGO Sale; so to fill out my order, I decided to pick up the two CDs by Ms. West – Temptation and Restless.
I was floored by the richness of her voice, her masterful phrasing and her song choices, which were a nice mixture of the familiar and the refreshingly different. I became an instant fan and I kicked myself for letting those two discs languish in those bins for as long as I did.
Though she has come East on occasion, Paula West is based in the Bay Area and is relatively unknown outside of San Francisco. Hopefully that will change soon.
A few weeks back while listening to her most recent disc, Live at Jazz Standard, I impulsively tweeted that “Paula West was the best jazz singer that you’ve probably never heard”. I got a surprising number of retweets and agreements, so it’s nice to see that the lady does have a growing fan base.
But don’t take my word for it. See and hear for yourself. You can thank me later.
Curt's Jazz Cafe 