Album Review: AJ Lambert – Careful You (Alpha Pup)

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AJ Lambert is a Sinatra who is glad she’s not a Kennedy. In fact, she covers the Shona Laing Kiwi classic on her debut album, Careful You.

And just who is AJ Lambert?

Well, her grandfather was Frank Sinatra and her parents are Nancy Sinatra and the late dancer/choreographer Hugh Lambert.

That’s quite a legacy for a singer, one that probably is the reason AJ (stands for Angela Jennifer) waited until she was 44 years old before releasing her first album.

Before that AJ spent a good portion of her youth drinking and partying and playing bass in various punk and indie bands around LA.

Finally, she built up the confidence to put out Careful You. And as the cover photo indicates, AJ puts on something of a musical balancing act, paying tribute to her grandfather’s massive legacy by performing standards such as Ebb Tide and Sleep Warm, two tunes that ol’ Blues Eyes himself recorded on his 1958 album, Frank Sinatra Sings Only For The Lonely.

But also inserting her own taste for more contemporary music with songs by TV On The Radio (the title track) and Spoon (I Summon You). Plus there are interesting choices such as John Cale’s uncharacteristically bouncy Cleo (from 1970’s Vintage Violence) and Chris Bell’s You And Your Sister (from his rare 1978 single I Am The Cosmos).

As it turns out, Lambert was exposed to those eclectic nuggets by her father. She also told me, when we spoke briefly by phone just as Careful You was about to be released, that she had been a fan of Shona Laing’s version of Glad I’m Not A Kennedy since she first heard it in 1987.

The irony is not lost on Lambert regarding her grandfather’s close relationship with the Kennedys during the 1960s and the track seems to act as a perfect bridge between the classic Sinatra sound and contemporary Lambert. It’s also the best track on the album.

AJ Lambert possesses a clear, pure voice that sounds like it can make any song sound beautiful. The track is to not make them sound like bland muzak.

Fortunately producers Boshra Al Saadi and Daniel Schlett have assembled a tempting mix of some of New York City’s top talent to play on the album. There’s not a guitar to be found, but there is drummer Parker Kindred, who played with Jeff Buckley and Joan As Policewoman, plus a synth player and seven horn players including baritone sax, clarinet and trumpets.

The result is a slightly off centre musical bed to keep things interesting while Lambert’s voice holds everything together.

For me, the tracks that worked best were You And Your Sister, Don Robertson’s I Don’t Hurt Anymore and the title track. I’m not really sure I need to hear another version of Ebb Tide or I’ll Be Seeing You, but I understand why they have been included.

But really, the gem here is Glad I’m Not A Kennedy. Lambert doesn’t stray too far from Shona Laing’s original,  but still manages to inject it with a fresh attitude. And that’s what a good cover version should do.

Marty Duda

Marty Duda
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