This is the third album by Australian vocalist Trudy Kerr, and it offers conclusive proof that she's one of the best of the younger crop of jazz singers. She's blessed with a big powerful voice, she swings hard and she's constantly inventive, reshaping her material for maximum effect. Here, she takes on a collection of superior standards and finds something new to say on all of them. Highlights abound, but the standout track is a terrific reading of The Masquerade is Over that is filled with passion. Kerr is hardly less good on Mad About the Boy, in which she breaks up the melodic line to produce a jagged, unsettling effect.The session gets a considerable boost from the presence of the great American pianist, Mulgrew Miller, who offers the sort of support about which singers dream about. An excellent album.

Andrew Vine, Yorkshire Post, 22 November 2000

Jazz standards from fast-improving expatriate Australian singer Trudy Kerr. Kerr is an open, personable and breezily mellifluous performer who shows her appreciation of some of the great songs of the Broadway tradition.

John Fordham, Pick of UK releases, Jazz UK, Jan/Feb 2001

Day Dream is an excellent production, with this album Trudy has moved to the front rank of Uk-based singers.

Brian Blain, Musician Magazine, March 2001

PICK OF THE MONTH

Trudy Kerr also seems to go from strength to strength, and for Day Dream her excellent trio includes the fine American pianist Mulgrew Miller, with trumpeter Guy Barker appearing on one of the 12 tracks. Kerr's sureness of touch enables her to relax and she performs a mixture of familiar and not so well-known standards with great aplomb. Sometimes her delivery has an engaging, almost conversational style. This is at its best in the opening 'Polka Dots and Moonbeams' (played in a lilting 5/4 - it works beautifully) which also has the first of several superb piano solos Miller plays throughout the session. Bob Dorough's 'Small Day Tomorrow', with its broad blues feel and Barker's growling trumpet, has Kerr in declamatory mode, and the Ellington\Strayhorn title track is an exquisitely lyrical performance. This is a poetic and superbly achieved album.

Ian Carr, BBC Music Magazine, Sept 2001

A young, British-based Australian singer and a regular in Ronnie Scott's, Kerr is good; on this well-crafted, thoughtful release she shows she can swing, and is not afraid to challenge accepted ways of doing standards - with a conversational manner, a full voice and impeccable intonation. She's also backed masterfully by no less than Mulgrew Miller, with Geoff Gascoyne (bass), who did the arranging, and Sebastiaan de Krom (drums). The standard material is spiced by a couple of wry songs by singer Bob Dorough, but the piece de resistance is an adventurous, inventive take on Noel Coward's Mad About the Boy that's a cut above everything else.

Irish Independent, March 2001

Another nice middle-of-the-road set from this young singer whose stature grows with each release. Her vocal sound is very attractive, liquid and mellow, and her lyrical interpretation is excellent. The accompanists are first rate and Kerr's obvious delight at working with the always excellent Miller gleams throughout. Gascoyne is a fine bassist and de Krom is a listening drummer, and all three rhythm men mesh seamlessly to form a lithely swinging cushion.

Recommended to fans of good jazz singing and to lovers of the Great American Song Book alike. I am mildly tempted to wonder if Kerr should soon seek to explore other areas in order to expand her repertoire. However, there are not too many singers of this calibre working with songs like these in the UK so I guess she knows better than I what she should do next.

Recommended

Bruce Crowther, Jazz Journal International, Aug 2001

Sassy, wistful and sincere. The Aussie's new album is a pleasant collection of great American classics.

TNT Magazine, Nov 2000

American ace pianist Mulgrew Miller, who Trudy has been a fan of for many years, told The Queensland Independent, "I am impressed with her skill, which is obviously the result of much experience, the sensuousness of her voice, and her admirable range. Above all, her personal warmth is reflected in the warmth of her style. I am delighted that she chose me to accompany her in this project. She will win many fans in the years to come."

Mulgrew Miller, The Queensland Independent, June 2001