Heather Powell
A Haze of Grays and Blue
(True Groove)

Heather Powell’s new album, A Haze of Grays and Blue, is a solid, 10-song release from a lady with a voice that cannot be denied.

Serving the US Armed Forces, mostly as a medical service corps officer, Powell became the commander and headliner of the Army’s inaugural theatrical company. Here she shows off that acumen, with Tomás Doncker helping out on guitar, production and songwriting.

“Unexpected” opens the album with a plucky, simply arranged acoustic tune that mainly features Powell’s strong, slight warble. Though the lyrics are not so great (and to her credit, Powell is generally singing about the same subject matter here throughout – love), but “Remember the Love” features a solid duet performance from Kevin Jenkins with a rim shot beat and her voice wailing on the bridge.

We roll around what I consider Burt Bacharach territory with the horn-laden “Awaken,” with its solid bass backing and Powell playing off Mac Gollehon’s horn, Carpenters-sounding stuff, on the staccato “Unstoppable” and a great groove (with percussion notable from Daniel Sadownick) on “Distant One,” maybe the best lyrics here.

“Falling,” with its echoey guitar and piano, shows Powell at her best vocally, her voice dripping  and falling with the band. “See Me” ends with Powell pushing her voice to its limit, getting rough on this torch song.

Heather Powell is a lady with a voice to be reckoned with and a solid album in A Haze of Grays and Blue.