It’s not often I get to review a single on the Jazzmann. Clearly those handling the career British based singer/songwriter Tanja Maritsa harbour hopes of her achieving considerable crossover success.

“Fading Grace” is taken from Maritsa’s impending second album “Fragile”, due for release in February 2010. A Maritsa original the song appears in two forms on the album, a full band version and in a pared down duet with acclaimed pianist Gwilym Simcock.

It is the duo version that is due to be released as a single and therefore concerns us here. Simcock’s typically sensitive arrangement and accompaniment helps to bring out the beauty of Maritsa’s melody, the fragility of her voice (the album title, taken from Sting’s song of the same name is suitably apposite) and the poetic delicacy of her words.

It’s very laid back and lovely and the song has already generated considerable airplay on various BBC local radio stations as well as being picked up on in Europe, Australia and Canada. I certainly prefer the duet to the album version but suspect it may be a little too tasteful and subtle for the Great British Public to turn it into a hit. It’s a good calling card though and stranger things have happened.
For myself it’s a little too smooth and I prefer to hear Simcock in a more obviously jazz context.

I’ll be taking a look at the album itself nearer to release date. In the meantime more information can be found at http://www.tanjamaritsa.co.uk and www.myspace.com/tanjamaritsa

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