Kelley Suttenfield’s “When We Were Young” is my number one pick for sleeper surprise masterpiece for this year. – John Sanders, JazzMusicArchives.com
For New York City vocalist Kelley Suttenfield’s third album, she has reimagined 11 Neil Young songs as if they were jazz standards. With the help of arranger/guitarist/producer Tosh Sheridan, sterling musicians, and a string section, some of Young’s most cherished material gets cast in new roots-reverent semi-swinging adult contemporary clothing that shows off the melodic structures beautifully and even adds gravitas to Young’s lyrics…. Her voice throughout is expressive, understated, whispery, and totally effective. Neil Young fans owe it to themselves to hear this. – Mike Greenblatt, goldminemag.com
Suttenfield remains understated in the recital, leading an eclectic band, featuring guitarist Tosh Sheridan, making music that rhymes with those country offerings of Norah Jones. Tastefully produced and provocatively performed, When We Were Young wins capably. – C. Michael Bailey, (About One Hundred Words On…)
Subtleties that I didn’t know existed are brought forth in “Harvest Moon” and “Only Love Can Break Your Heart.” The arrangements are both compact and lush. Kelley Suttenfield’s voice is evocative and subtle, yet filled with expression. This is an album that gets better and better after each spin. – Preston Michael Frazier, Something Else!
* Also selected for “Preston Frazier’s Best of 2019 Jazz”
“When We Were Young from singer Kelley Suttenfield is an impressive and enjoyable tribute to the awesome catalog of Neil Young. Creative arrangements of the songs provide Suttenfield fantastic in-roads to Young’s work, delivering some warm and engaging performances of the material… A fantastic recording by the singer.” – D. Glenn Daniels, TheJazzPage.com
A highly talented jazz singer, for her third album Kelley Suttenfield has chosen to pay tribute to singer-guitarist-composer Neil Young, a major figure in rock from the mid-1960s through to the present day… The music, thus adapted for a jazz setting that is far from its rock origins, is moved stylistically into the jazz canon… All will surely enjoy Suttenfield’s gently intimate and warm vocal sound and her understanding of the emotional heart of this music. – Bruce Crowther, Jazz Journal
Saving the finest for last, Suttenfield’s interpretation of “Old Man” is moving, evoking emotions in the listener and personalizing the song. Her vocal inflections possess a haunting quality indicative of the song’s creator Neil Young. – Susan Frances, Jazz2Love
Singer-songwriter Neil Young has been the subject of tribute recordings before, and the latest one is a gem. In When We Were Young: Kelley Suttenfield Sings Neil Young the numbers are presented with thoughtfulness and projecting shared understanding. The treatments show a fond respect for the originals, but go their own way with the arrangements and phrasing… The voice can take on an accented tang of country, breathy wonderment, or sighed resignation. It’s attractively plaintive. – Rob Lester, Talkin’ Broadway
Yet another woman singer doing something out of the ordinary, bravely reimagining the songs of Neil Young as jazz… An exquisite rendering of Harvest Moon. The CD is very enjoyable and successfully transfers Young’s music from rock to jazz. – Lance Liddle, Bebop Spoken Here
Suttenfield sings with subtle but affecting emotion. Her most intense moment comes on Young’s murder ballad, “Down By The River.” She purrs the lyrics hypnotically over a forbidding swirl of guitar, piano and strings, a big difference from the crunching electric mayhem of Young’s version, but a compelling one. – Jerome Wilson, All About Jazz
A tribute to Young that is both sincere and musically accomplished… Although most jazz vocalists would shy away from an album’s worth of rock tunes penned by Neil Young, Kelley Suttenfield tackles the task with aplomb on When We Were Young, providing skillful renditions of eleven cuts ranging from the well-known to a couple of the most obscure of Young’s compositions. Suttenfield’s low-key, insouciant delivery is a pleasant listen, and with a fine band in support and some smart arrangements, she succeeds in bringing her jazz-inflected style to Young’s not-so-jazzy material. – Troy Dostert, All About Jazz
Suttenfield, supported by her longtime collaborator, arranger and guitarist Tosh Sheridan, adds a freshness to all of these great tunes. Her exceptional, evocative voice cuts right to the heart of the material, for which she obviously has a great understanding and appreciation. It is a gem, truly worthwhile, allowing us to view Young’s work in an entirely new light. – Paul Freeman, Pop Culture Classics
Let’s face it, Neil Young isn’t an easy artist to crack, for anyone. And yet, Kelley Suttenfield does, tenderly showing the controversial rocker in a different light, revealing his sensitive side and astonishing poetic depth, with an unfiltered, openhearted touch that humanizes an icon. That’s hard to do, or find fault with. – Carol Banks Weber, Festival Peak
For people who have taken Young’s songs for granted, Suttenfield’s jazz-oriented, almost sparse approach shows a new dimension to the tracks and will likely inspire a new appreciation. – Dodie Miller-Gould, LemonWire
With a deeply sensual voice that’s much more palatable and definitely more inviting/seductive than Young’s well known high pitched tone, Suttenfield and her band bring their eclectic, dynamically arranged blend of jazz swing, gritty pop/rock, dashes of blues and soul and lush strings to everything from the #1 hit “Heart of Gold” and well known “Old Man” to chestnuts like “Harvest Moon” and “Love Is A Rose” and two hardly ever heard rarities. – Jonathan Widran, JW Vibe
What’s always made Kelley’s vocals stand out for me is her ability to wrap the listener (quite intimately) in tastefully and with great skill… you’ll agree when you hear her sing “Only Love Can Break Your Heart“; her pacing is immaculate, and the players “get” what her interpretation of Neil’s beautiful song… I can definitely see this one getting some MAJOR airplay, too! – Dick Metcalf, Contemporary Fusion Reviews
Amber-voiced Kelley Suttenfield takes a creative step in interpreting songs composed by Neil Young. Wise, because the Young songbook is rarely approached, and also due to the fact that his material is flexible enough to fit into almost any genre. – George Harris, Jazz Weekly
Kelley delivers a set of soft romantic ballads on When We Were Young, an extraction of some of the best from Canadian, rock songwriter, Neil Young’s catalogue. There is solid guitar work by producer/arranger Tosh Sheridan on “Down By The River”. Matthew Fries (p), Phil Palombi (b), Eric Halvorson (d, perc) and The Memling Ensemble String Trio provide rich backing instrumentation and they infuse a fair dose of jazz into Young’s music. – O’s Place Jazz Magazine
Five stars. Kelley’s lush and sensitive approach to lyrics adds a new dimension to Neil’s works, and a voice that lingers in the mind. – Grady Harp, Amazon Hall of Fame Top 100 Reviewer
The sultry jazz singer takes on a wide swath of Young’s catalog in this whole Young program that’ll have you feeling like this is the first time you’re hearing these songs. – Chris Spector, Midwest Record
Accompanied by guitar, piano and at times a string section, the singing creates an intimate atmosphere which the listener will love.” – Jazz Life (translated from the Japanese magazine)
“It has not become a tribute, but contains interpretations that sound fresh and personal. You can enjoy relaxed, jazzy versions of ‘Harvest Moon’, ‘Heart of Gold’, ‘Only Love Can Break Your Heart’, ‘Down by the River’, but also of lesser known tracks such as ‘Fool for Your Love.’ All in all an uncomplicated album, with interpretations that follow the original, but still leave their own mark on it.” – Keys and Chords (translated from the Belgian magazine)
