The music of June Shellene can best be described as a massage for the ears, and the mind. Relaxing, calming, and smooth, it has the power to wash away the every day troubles that weigh us down. June’s album Wait ‘Til Midnight Ends is a culmination of June’s impressive musical experience that spans decades. From the soothing opening notes of the first song to the quiet ending of the last, Wait ‘Til Midnight Ends is an album that will delight jazz aficionados and blues lovers alike. The album opens with the title track where the listener is treated to June’s extraordinary piano playing. It is light and performed with the skill of someone who is clearly very comfortable at the keys. June’s voice is strong and commands respect while still retaining a softness. The rhythm of this piece is graceful and the composition is simplistic and pleasing. “Wait ‘Til Midnight Ends” is the perfect way to begin the album.
“Not Good Enough Blues” is up tempo with a bluesy vibe. This piece is exceptional and June’s vocals are spot on. The lyrics carry a slightly tongue-in-cheek humor to them and June’s delivery is excellent, showing a fantastic understanding of the way blues should sound, which notes to emphasize and which to soften. The musicianship on this piece is fantastic as well, especially the guitar work. “The Craziest Game” takes the album down a whole new path with an unexpected Spanish flair, boasting her diversity of style. June’s vocals during this track are strong and she hits the high notes with perfection. This song is an all around winner, perfectly engineered, and performed with brilliance.
After the dramatic ending of “The Craziest Game,” the soft and slow beginning of “Make A Little Time For Love” is haunting and thought provoking. The lyrics are masterful and deal with the beginning of the end of a relationship, for no other reason than people are too busy to make time for love. A lesson everyone should take to heart, June delivers it with angelic vocals and an overall feel of 1920’s jazz, complete with a crowded, smoky room, a sexy songstress in a slinky black gown, and a lightly tinkling piano. Exceedingly well done, “Make A Little Time For Love” is perhaps Shellene’s signature song.
“One City Block” is more story than song, one that carries a slightly sinister undertone. This track is full of imagery as June takes us through the city, describing in detail what she sees. The most visual of all the tracks yet, “One City Block” is written more for the mind’s eye than the ears, and is the most lyrically sound piece on the album yet. “Lincoln Avenue” is a track with attitude and the saxophone playing is extraordinary. June’s voice is silky and smooth, the very epitome of jazz singing. Every note is clear and thoughtful. “Stone Cold Sober” slows it down so the listener can fully feel that it is a lyrically compelling masterpiece about the blossoming of a new love, and then the inevitable comedown from the high. It’s full of beautiful sadness, with a melancholy mood and excellent instrumentation throughout.
Wait ‘Til Midnight Ends continues with fluid and light piano work on “Just In Case,” a track that would be the perfect addition to a movie soundtrack. The sound quality is stellar and this is another perfectly produced piece with clarity of sound and clean notes throughout. “Tattoo” shakes things up with a country flair and foot tapping rhythms. Clearly, June Shellene is able to branch out into other genres besides jazz and blues, and this track is a fun one. Lively, upbeat, with lyrics that are humorous without losing focus, “Tattoo” is an unexpected surprise that will delight lovers of country and rockabilly. “Crazy Sue” brings the rhythm of the album back home, with slow tinkling piano under June’s haunting voice lamenting the plight of a woman named Sue. Sue is crazy. One of the saddest melodies on the album, this piece will make listeners think and feel. June’s voice carries emotion and sincerity and the cello playing is a brilliant touch that brings the sadness of this song home.
“Polar Bear Blues” offers sad humor and imagery regarding the plight of polar bears stuck in zoos. Another thought provoking piece, June makes listeners contemplate the life of polar bears in captivity and perhaps how they feel having nothing to do and nowhere to go. The trombone playing is a nice touch and adds the flair that is needed in this slow, sad number. June picks it back up with “We Won’t Let It Bring Us Down,” a much needed lift. The sadness of the preceding two tracks fades as the jazzy New Orleans vibe of this piece digs in. One of the most instrumentally sound tracks on the album, this piece has blaring trumpets, trombones, clarinets, and the best collaboration between the musicians yet. Upbeat, uplifting, lively and loud, this track is by far the best example of the talent and diversity of June Shellene and her band of exceptional musicians.
The album ends with “Before The Fall”, and is the perfect way to close Wait ‘Til Midnight Ends. By now, the listener is familiar and comfortable with June’s voice and her fantastic piano playing, not to mention her extraordinary lyrics and the way her music can bring forth emotions and memories. “Before The Fall” is a short, sweet track that embodies the June Shellene experience. Her music is played with confidence, talent, and the remarkable surety of one who has been doing something she loves dearly for many years. It is evident that June Shellene’s passion is music and she has done an outstanding job channeling this in her album Wait ‘Til Midnight Ends.
Review by Rhonda Readence
