Integrity. Artistic integrity and personal integrity. That is what comes to mind when you listen to this collection of songs that Marilyn Scott Handpicked from her four contemporary/smooth jazz CDs. Scott chose these 16 songs because they were significant to her, and they were the ones that fans told her they wanted to see in a compilation. It’s a perfect collection. Her hits from the era when NAC and Smooth Jazz radio still played this type of vocals are there, as are covers of contemporary classics, romantic songs, inspiring songs, thoughtful social commentary and spirituality. All backed up by arrangements that are substantial enough to hold their own as instrumentals.

“The Last Day,” the song Scott wrote with Brenda Russell about the importance of living every day would be worth the price of the CD by itself. Sung to sparse piano accompaniment and Jimmy Haslip’s bass it is a simple lyric that never resorts to sentimentality or cliche.  Scott’s voice always seems be a perfect match for the songs she sings. She is an interpreter who takes you to the heart of the song. She doesn‘t oversing, she doesn‘t try to be sultry, she doesn‘t belt or growl. She makes you care about the songs she chooses to sing. Her version of Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” brings a whole new perspective to an overly familiar radio hit. In her hands it becomes an invocation, a piece of classic contemporary songwriting. “Get Home,” a commentary on the violent and angry undercurrents in our culture finds her singing as gritty and edgy as the street scene she is portraying and the funky horns and wah-wah guitar that punctuate it. In “You Don’t Know What Love Is,” a duet with Frank McComb, she shows how powerful an R&B ballad can be when it is sung with subtlety instead of histrionics. Handpicked is a treasure box of intelligently written love songs. “Understanding Love,” “Loving You,” “Smile,” “Don’t Let Love Get Away,” “Close Enough,” and “I Always Think of You,” explore romance, attraction, and seduction with a level of originality and maturity that was the norm during the era of Great American Songbook but is rarely heard in contemporary songwriting. Her interpretation of Burt Bachrach’s “Let Me Be The One” is simply breathtaking. But she doesn’t just sing about romantic love-she sings about faith, love for others, and love for life itself. In “Give In,” she sings: “You have been blessed, walk past this pain and stress.” Then there is “The Last Day,” a song that has become almost a mantra those who have been touched by it.

From the beginning Scott has collaborated with some of the most inventive and accomplished musicians in contemporary jazz. She and Russell Ferrante began working together when they were both still playing small clubs and he has been an ongoing contributor both as a writer and sideman. George Duke produced, played, and wrote on her two Warner Brothers releases. The star-heavy lineup has stayed consistent through 10 years and three labels: Duke, Ferrante, Jimmy Haslip, Paul Jackson Jr., Vinnie Coliuta, Everette Harp, Paulino De Costa, Michael Landau, Freddie Washington, Bob Mintzer, Brandon Fields, Will Kennedy, Michael Landau. The arrangements are simply superb. They enhance Scott’s vocals without overwhelming them or fading into the background. Every song has ear grabbing instrumental nuances; from solos to small passages where every note accentuates the theme and mood of the song. There is a place where adult oriented pop music intersects with contemporary jazz at the highest common denominator and it is in every song on this CD.

It’s gift-giving season. Take out your list. If you know someone who is going through “stuff,” this is the one to get them. Someone who is falling in love. Yes. Someone who is falling out of love. Them too. Anyone who is tired of generic prepackaged music, and anyone who thinks there is no wonderful music being made in these times. Bypass the hype and the promotion machine, don’t bother with the costly displays at the front of the store or the “must have“ lists on the music retail homepages. Bypass the box sets and reissues. Go straight to this one, grab it and share it. Listening to Marilyn Scott is like hanging out with a wise and loving friend, a friend who just knows...

- Shannon West