Lola Haag

Lola Haag has a new album, titled Love Notes." It seems to be her fifth album, and believe it or not, I think I have most if not all of them. And don't ask me how I got them, probably from perusing jazz vocal bins. Looking at her website , she seems to be based in Ojai, California. Haag has a breathy but full voice, a little on the bland side, but she uses it well. Once she starts singing, you can't help but keep on listening. And she definitely has great taste - her previous albums included tributes to Sarah Vaughan and Billie Hollday. Her sound veers more jazz - on this album, most of the arrangements have a light swing to it, and chestnuts like "Just In Time," and "the Very Thought Of You" sound well enough. There's an interesting lilt in "Moonlight Becomes You." but all in all, it suffers from being too familiar, and lounge-y. While it's okay if you were at a Holiday Inn on a business trip, as an aural experience it just lacks that certain oomph to catch your attention.