Music reviews. CD reviews. Critically hip!

Ellen Honert, a native of the Netherlands, originally decided to study jazz when she was a little girl. From there, she studied at the Dutch Conservatory of Music, but dropped out when she felt she wasn’t being given the opportunity to be unique. After dropping out, she met American musicians Tuck and Patti and eventually moved to California to start her solo career. After pairing up with famed Bay Area producer Frank Martin, Honert recorded and released Breath of the Soul, which is her debut.

And what a debut it is! It’s been awhile since I’ve heard such a talented jazz voice, but Honert leaves little to be desired. Normally, the jazz genre is focused around the instrumental parts of the music, but Honert defied all logic and created one of the best jazz vocal albums of the year.

The album contains six original tracks (four written by Honert) and six covers. The gem of the album is a song written by Martin and Honert called Blue. The song contains some of the best flute solos I’ve ever heard, and Honert skillfully lets the lyrics roll out of her mouth. It’s almost as if singing jazz tunes is what she was born to do.

After hearing this impressive debut album, I only expect Honert to get better as the years roll along. Only three years ago she was an undiscovered dropout living in the Netherlands riding a bike to jazz festivals. After being discovered, she went on a whirlwind tear to write and record her first album. Judging by the way this one turned out, even with all of the distractions of moving to a new country alone and not knowing anybody, the next one will be something worth having.

As a matter of fact, this one is worth having. Any jazz fan looking for an impressive vocal record should go and pick Honert’s album up now.