It's Anybody's Spring

'In a word, this debut disc is terrific. Shane has a strong, confident voice and swings easily through a broad repertoire of standards, bossa novas, originals and worthy but obscure tunes...practically wrings tears from Gordon Parks' lovely Don't Misunderstand...

Shane sings with true jazz feeling...she's an accomplished and talented singer who deserves to be heard.' -Matt Schudel, Jazz Columnist, SUN SENTINEL, South Florida '[Karen Shane] projects a confidence that reflects the upbeat vivacity of Anita O'Day in Better Than Anything or Peggy Lee in the sultry mid-tempo blues of A Man Of My Own...

Her ability to swing is matched by her band's grooves...' -Cadence Magazine 'Here's a budding new star! Whether she's swinging a jazz tune or caressing a ballad, her pleasant and well-modulated voice will evoke memories of some of your favorite vocalists of the 1940s and 1950s.' -Marvin Randolph, SUN SENTINEL, South Florida 'Karen Shane is a member of a small, but growing community...women jazz vocalists with style...

You can tell from the opening bars of Better Than Anything that she is a storyteller, using harmony and inflection to convey feelings...

This release, her first, is melodic and easy to listen to...

Karen croons her way through an assortment of jazz, Latin jazz and love songs. Unlike some of the newer songwriter/musician/vocalists that are cropping up lately, Karen Shane's forte is singing and she does it with strength and control.' -R. Redmond, JazzUSA 'Zine 'Shane shows herself to be of the school of singers who believe in making the lyric both audible and understandable...

Shane shows an ability to swing on the opening Better Than Anything and produces a fine lyrical line while swinging gently on the title cut by Burke and Van Heusen...

Karen is a jazz singer who melds music and meaning well.' -Michael Colby, 52nd St. Review 'Wow! Karen Shane has a vibrant voice...richly evocative...varied and expressive...

On this delightful collection of thirteen jazzy tunes (including one original), she shows an impressive command of the jazz idiom and a wonderful ability to invest even the hoariest chestnuts...with originality and new zest. Just listen to how she bends notes on Warm and Willing!...

Karen Shane is a first-rate jazz singer who, by the sound of this disc, deserves all the success that may come to her.' -Robert Spencer, all about jazz.com 'My introduction to the songs of Karen Shane is a most welcome experience. Karen has a pure jazz voice and beckons the listener into a sense of feeling 'very much at home'...

There is a great presence to her sincere performances...

Her rendition of the Burke/Van Heusen It's Anybody's Spring is a stunner...

Great!' -Richard Bourcier, Jazz Review Karen Shane has recently emerged into the world of jazz where she is finally 'at home.' Her debut CD entitled It's Anybody's Spring combines a great blend of the old and the new, with a mix from swing to ballad to Bossa Nova. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Shane comes from a very musical family. Her father was a performer in musical theater and sang in barbershop quartets. It was through his love of harmony singing that Shane developed her keen sense of music. Her aunt was an opera singer and toured with the Robert Shaw Chorale; her grandmother, a mandolin player of 40 years, taught Shane foundations of rhythm; and her cousin, Ruth Wallis, the well-known risqu singer from the 50's and 60's, passed down to Shane that style and professionalism which has become so synonymous with Shane's performance. In addition to her family, Ms. Shane also attributes her jazz singing influences to Carmen McRae, Ella Fitzgerald, Rosemary Clooney and Mel Torm, as well as the music of Duke Ellington and Quincy Jones, just to name a few. Ms. Shane's professional musical background began in high school when she sang in a rock 'n roll band alongside singer/songwriter Eric Carmen. This led her to Los Angeles and New York where she worked as a studio singer and also as a second engineer at A&M Studios. From 1983 to 1987, Ms. Shane toured with American Ballet Theatre, performing i