CD REVIEWS:

#5 nationwide on JazzWeek's industry-standard jazz chart!

**** 4 STARS (= Excellent!)
- Downbeat Magazine

"RYAN IS THE REAL DEAL
— A dash of Sarah and Billie, but all Jackie"

JAZZ SPOTLIGHT - *** 1/2 (Three and a half stars)

"The San Francisco-based singer is still far too little known, and it's hard to understand why. With guests saxophonist Ernie Watts and harmonica artist Toots Thielemans paralleling her sumptuous vocal lines, Ryan presents a 14-song program displaying the length and breadth of her skills. She sings "Estate" in the original Italian, soaring up from gorgeous low tones to sweeping high notes. Some of her readings -- "A Sleeping Bee" for one -- are reminiscent of the lush combinations of rich sound and melodic variation typical of Sarah Vaughan. Other tunes resonate with the sardonic qualities of Billie Holiday ("East of the Sun," for example). But she does all this without sacrificing any of her own engaging skills. Ryan is the real deal."

"I like everything about this multifarious, multilingual disc. I only wish it would go multiplatinum."

"Jackie Ryan is the Rita Hayworth of jazz, her natural sensuousness and bold inhibition as fiery as her luminous red locks. On "This Heart of Mine", the Irish- Mexican chanteuse's sublime follow-up to last year's "Passion Flower", Ryan delivers 14 tracks recorded at three different sessions, each showcasing a different piano - based trio (augmented by such special guests as TootsThielemans and Ernie Watts).... The results are consistently wonderful. I like the steam she adds to "East of the Sun" (who knew it could be so sultry?), the unbridled elation of a "Jump For Joy" that manages to rival Mark Murphy's. I like the way her " When I Grow Too Old To Dream" oozes with satisfied self-confidence, and I cheer her blistering blend of "Come Back To Me" and "Lover Come Back To Me".

"..THIS HEART OF MINE SHOULD SIT HIGH ON THIS YEAR'S TOP TEN LIST."

"Listen to Jackie Ryan's voice and consider this: how important is it to you that vocal jazz come from the heart? Ryan's latest release proves that nothing works better on your soul than the real thing. With three teams of top-rate West Coast sidemen and welcome appearances from several key guests, Ryan's straight-ahead program settles in with a charm seldom seen in today's crowded singer's market. She's genuine."

"Jackie's heart permeates the lyrics of every song on this suberbly produced, wonderfully musical release. Jackie's sultry voice, sensitive articulation, and impeccable intonation are absolutely sublime. SHE IS ONE OF THE GREATS."

-- Winthrop Bedford, JazzImprov Magazine, January 2004

"JACKIE RYAN HAS A FULL-BODIED VOICE AND SHE INTOXICATES WITH A COMBINATION OF POWER AND PERFUME."

"If we ever stop playing This Heart Of Mine our listeners will come picket the station!"

HIGHLIGHTS

Her last CD, Passion Flower, made the Top 20 on Jazz Week's nationwide industry-standard jazz chart, received a 4 star rating by AllMusicGuide, and was named "one of the best vocal albums of the year!" by AlllAboutJazz. Jackie Ryan's newest release - featuring the legendary Toots Thielemans on harmonica and the two-time GRAMMY Award winning Ernie Watts on saxophone - delivers a smashing breakthrough follow-up."

"From bolero to ballads, samba to swing, gospel to jazz standards to original compositions, this CD has it all - reflecting the full spectrum of what jazz singing means today. It shows an incredibly versatile vocalist and gifted lyricist in a class all her own.

Jackie's rich, appealing alto voice has brought her increasing international acclaim. She has recorded for the prestigious label of London's famed Ronnie Scott's Club (where she has performed regularly for the past 5 years and is, as jazz critic Jack Massarik of London's Evening Standard put it, "one of the best singers to sing at Ronnie's since Shirley Horn"). She has also recorded with jazz greats Buddy DeFranco, Terry Gibbs and the legendary trumpet-master Clark Terry (with whom she performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival).

Jackie's Mexican-Irish heritage lends an authentic treatment and deep intimacy to the Latin selections included here. And as a lyricist, she has a keen ear for phrasing and internal rhymes, writing and recording vocalese lyrics to Joe Henderson's driving sax solo on "The Kicker", poignant lyrics to Barry Harris's "Deep Love", as well as the hauntingly poetic lines found on this CD's "Seasons of The Heart"