‘Bewitched* – Not Bothered, Not Bewildered’ is the debut album by New York based jazz singer Suzanna Ross. Here she has been joined by pianist-arranger Gregory Toroian, bassist Skip Ward and drummer David Silliman who provide sympathetic support as she works through multiple different styles including jazz standards, several songs in French, bossa novas, pop songs, and even theme tunes. It is an interesting mix of styles, but sadly the concept is much better than the delivery. Suzanna’s vocals just are not strong enough, and while she may be able to get away with it in the live environment, in the studio her frailties are laid bare. There are a few times when she is struggling, and isn’t quite on the note, while the arrangements are very much background muzak.

Her repertoire sees her move from Nat King Cole (“Come To Baby, Do”) to Herman’s Hermits (“There’s A Kind Of Hush”), but I still have the single of the latter and both the arrangement and vocals pall into comparison with the original. There is yet another version of “Over The Rainbow” we could do without, and while the theme to “Bewitched” is a fun idea the execution again leaves a lot to be desired. Not one to which I will quickly return.

Rating: 4/10

Links:
https://suzannaross.com/