ALBUM REVIEWS

ABBEY LINCOLN

“A Turtle’s Dream”

Verve

* * *

The dark, complex web of Abbey Lincoln’s music is intimately revealed in this new CD, which includes nine of her original songs. The unrelenting intensity of her vision colors everything, and there is little variation in that intensity--whether a tune is about the pleasures of love in “My Love Is You” or the pains of “Should’ve Been.”

Lincoln’s highly declamatory style is an extremely effective instrument for her songs--perfect for the personal intimacies of “Throw It Away” and “A Turtle’s Dream” and the rich spirituality of “Down Here Below.”

She is accompanied with great subtlety and considerable imagination by an all-star group of players. Pat Metheny is on four tracks, playing brilliantly on both acoustic and electric guitar; the estimable Kenny Barron brings his magic to two tunes; Charlie Haden and Christian McBride split the bass playing chores.

“A Turtle’s Dream” is a fascinating portrait of a mature artist using music to come to grips with the changing phases of a complicated life.

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to four (excellent).