A little jazz, a catchy tune, and a lot of fun
I just started listening to Erin with the purchase of Grand. This album makes her releases on my watch list. She just makes enjoyable music. A little folk, a little jazz, a really nice voice, a way of phrasing that is very enjoyable. (Listen to some very early Diana Krall, and she doesn't phrase songs well at all, however later she learned to do it better then most.) I hear that her live performances are excellent. This album, while not her own songs except for one, I believe, is very accessible to a wide range of listeners. Give it a shot.

Winning and endearing, if a bit thin/stripped down
Erin McKeown was previously unknown to me, but a glowing magazine review helped tip me off. (Now I wish I'd seen her in Portland a few months ago.) Her voice is a tad reminiscent of Ricky Lee Jones by way of Suzanne Vega--what she lacks in vocal oomph and richness, she often makes up for in insinuation and an appealingly wry tone. A listener might miss a full-on big band on some of the zingier numbers ("Sing You Sinners" "Get Happy" "Rhode Island Is Famous For You"), but McKeown sounds so light and infectious they're still completely winning. And in some cases the stripped-down sound really pays off--"Melody" sounds so loose and casual, you might swear for a moment it was tossed off in one take. Only a few weak spots here and there undercut things: McKeown's voice sounds unusually harsh on "I Was A Little Too Lonely, You Were A Little Too Late," and an overly moody "It Was Just One Of Those Things" is too rainy-noir-on-a-Sunday for the rest of the disc. And "Is You A Viper" coils and winds like a big, overfed snake itself, stopping the CD's flow cold until the zippy final track. So many artists have done the jazz standards thing, it's a treat to encounter one who puts a uniquely personal stamp on it; if you're not persnickety about McKeown's warmly engaging personality papering over her occasional tiny vocal limitations, this is an ideal country-drive-on-a-warm-Indian-summer-day CD.

Great Album
This is a great album - heard a profile about it on NPR.
Nice remakes of some old classics.
Amazon was great with ordering and delivery.

Clever, hip refashioning of old jazz and blues standards
A modern gal, rock-folk naif Erin McKeown is both canny and coy in her appropriation of the jazz-standards canon. While her kooky arrangements and half-giddy, half-deadpan vocal performances call a great deal of attention to themselves, McKeown's obvious love for the material and playful verve will probably win most folks over. To her credit, McKeown hasn't just trotted out an overly-reverential pop-vocals showcase, but rather has crafted a distinctive album that illuminates these old songs in a way that her contemporary audience can really glom onto. The arrangements have an off-center quirkiness that recalls the Tom Waits/Marc Ribot school of postmodern cabaret jazz, while her vocals owe a powerful debt to Blossom Dearie. Hard to say whether it's a testament to the craftsmanship of the songs, or to McKeown's aren't-I-clever originality, but the lyrics really come to life on several tracks, notably "They Say It's Spring," "I Was A Little Too Lonely" and "Rhode Island Is Famous For You," which are the big successes on this album. Jazz purists are less than likely to love this album, but coffeehouse folksters will go koo-koo over it... Hopefully they will also be inspired to check out the source material, particularly from singers such as Blossom Dearie, Anita O'Day and songwriters like Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer, et al. Either way, this album has a lot to offer to attentive listeners. (DJ Joe Sixpack)

delightful
This was my first exposure to Erin Mckeown. She's great fun on these standards. I especially am taken with the prominence of the percussion in new and playful ways that help me to hear these songs in a really fresh way.