Maybe

Vocalist Carrie Wicks is three albums into her recording career with the release of Maybe, a collection heavy on smartly composed and sung originals. Wicks has previously released I'll Get Around to It (OA2 Records, 2010) and Barely There (OA2 Records, 2012). She enjoyed the same rhythm section so much on both recordings, pianist Bill Anschell, bassist Jeff Johnson, and drummer Byron Vannoy that she uses them with no additional solo instruments on Maybe.

Wicks is a sharp composer of lyrics and knows how to deliver them. She does the same with her carefully selected standards. Duke Ellington's "Solitude" is revealed slowly, like a delicious story. Drowsy and warm, Wicks makes the ballad a carnal lament to loss. Her delivery is wistful and well-cushioned by Anschell's splendid touch and equally winter-drowsy pianism. Wicks summons Bessie and Mamie Smith more than Billie Holiday. She is very much her own singer with a voice made for the songs she sings.