'The Art of Lounge' (1997)

featuring
JANET SEIDEL - vocals
KEVIN HUNT - piano
COL NOLAN - piano/hammond organ
PAUL WILLIAMS - tenor sax/clarinet
TOM BAKER - tenor sax
DAVID SEIDEL - bass
JOHN MORRISON - drums/percussion
HAMISH STUART - drums
IAN BLOXSOM - percussion
LEN BARNARD - drums
Strings - MIRKA ROZMUS, REBECCA DANIEL, MICHELLE KELLY,
VIRGINIA COMERFORD, RACHEL VALENTINE

The Very Thought of You
To Say Goodbye
Comes Love
I've Got a Crush on You
I Got Lost in His Arms
At Sundown
The Sweetest Sounds
Fools Rush In
Gee Baby
Mas Que Nada
Love for Sale
I Had the Craziest Dream
Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying
Black is the Colour

CD REVIEW - 'The Art of Lounge'
'All About Jazz' Website - Dave Nathan

Performing since she was 17, Janet Seidel is now one of Australia's more prominent vocalists. There are strings on several tracks, they are offset by musicians steeped in the jazz tradition like Tom Baker on tenor sax. Also having a jazz flavor, 'I've Got Crush on You' is done in a small group setting with Paul Williams providing a mellow background with his clarinet contrasting nicely with Seidel's simple, straightforward rendition of this popular classic.

With a voice that combines the good features of Blossom Dearie with some Peggy Lee and Doris Day stirred in for seasoning, Seidel is at home in a number of styles. She can lull you with a sentimental ballad and then get naively erotic with a blues. She gets together with Col Nolans's Hammond B3 organ for a version of 'Gee Baby, Ain't I Good to You' which blends innocence with allurement.

The Latin beat gets a nod with 'Mas Que Nada'. There's a touch of soulful regret on 'Don't Let the Sun Catch you Crying' behind Tom Baker's wailing tenor sax while there's a come hither quality in her interpretation of 'Love for Sale with Baker taking up his cornet.

Seidel takes on a poetic bearing on 'Fools Rush In' which, as much as any track, reveals her ability to convey the essence of the story embedded in the lyrics she sings.

Irrespective of their genre, all the tunes are delivered in a delightful, ear catching, engaging manner. Backed by Australian musicians of the highest caliber, this CD of more than 60 minutes of varied vocalizing is highly recommended.

CD REVIEW - 'The Art of Lounge'
Tuscon Lifestyle (USA) 'Music for the Road' - Scott Barker

March 2001
Australian vocalist/pianist Janet Seidel is a true blue Jazz Baby whose recent CD 'The Art of Lounge' may have you think you've set the Way-Back machine for 1953.

She's been compared to everyone from Doris Day to Peggy Lee, and it's definitely fair to say that her understanding of the classics is equal to that of those legendary greats.

On the 14 tracks of 'Lounge' she swings through romantic ballads that have become so much a part of our musical landscape you might think it would be hard to make them sound fresh, yet that's just what Seidel does. She manages the hat trick of sounding flirtatious, confident and even wryly humorous, lending an extra depth to the songs.

Represented on the disc are quintessential jazz/pop songwriters like Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Johnny Mercer, the Gershwin brothers and Richard Rogers with songs like 'Love for Sale' 'Fools Rush in' and 'I've got a crush on you'.

Ably assisting Seidel is a band that understands the need for a light yet sure hand with such familiar material, including pianist Kevin Hunt, bassist David Seidel and saxophonist Paul Williams.

The vocals are wisely kept up front in the mix, with the keyboards, percussion, horns and strings carrying the music along like a gentle wave.

All in all, whether you listen in your car, home or office, this is a LOUNGE you might want to spend plenty of time in.

CD REVIEW - 'The Art of Lounge'
Viktor Zappner

CD REVIEW - 'The Art of Lounge'
The Sun Herald Timeout - Dick Hughes
To quote words of a song by Irving Berlin (represented here by I Got Lost In His Arms), this CD "simply reeks of class".

CD REVIEW - 'The Art of Lounge'
Philip Gore - Rating: 7/10