Ita 12 Bytes Jeanette Winteerson

Jeanette Lindström was born and raised in Sweden, but there have been times when her phrasing might lead those who haven't seen her picture to think she could be African-American, although one would have been unlikely to make that mistake if they'd heard her singing jazz in Swedish with bassist Anders Jormin. African-American singers have clearly had a great impact on Lindström, whose impressionistic approach brings to mind Dianne Reeves and Abbey Lincoln, and whose Caprice CDs are best described as post-bop with R&B overtones.

Feathers travels a different road than Jeanette Lindström's previous albums. Whereas earlier releases had her sounding like an Afro American singer with overtones of Abbey Lincoln and Diane Reeves, her newest is introspective and soft. There is no hint of soul, R & B or anything resembling an up tempo pace. This change of rhythms may have something to do with the label. Her earlier recordings were with the Caprice label which has featured African/Middle Eastern music.

Jeanette Lindstrom has a haunting voice and a style that at times crosses over into folk music, although she retains her connections with jazz phrasing. For In the Middle of This Riddle, she wrote all of the music (other than the lyrics of "When Things Get Real") and, although there are occasional solos from her sidemen (with trumpeter Staffan Svensson making the biggest impression during his spots), the focus is mostly on her singing. This is an atmospheric set that grows in interest with repeated listenings. The lyrics are worth listening to closely.