Sweet Megg has been living a double life, singing for jazz bands in New York City and exploring classic country and early rock 'n roll in Nashville. She finds a middle ground on her new album My Window Faces The South, released by Turtle Bay Records in September. She has assembled an excellent group of jazz musicians from New York, and paired them with guitar and fiddle players from the Nashville studios to create an album of authentic Western Swing that everyone can enjoy.
The album kicks off with a sweet and swaying "Faded Love", a tight focus on the vocal highlights Megg's surety in this style, she could Tennessee Waltz right into the Grand Old Opry of the 1950s. Track titles like "Hesitation Blues" and "Star Dust" show just how connected the jazz and country repertoire were during that period.
Sometimes Western Swing can be thought of as country music with a horn section, and several of these tracks reflect that approach. "I Can't Stop Loving You" is pure classic country, a big full accompaniment behind a straight vocal that feels refreshingly authentic to the 1950s.
Several other tracks would be better described as vintage jazz with a string section. "There’ll Be Some Changes Made" is full on jazz, as is "Sentimental Gentlemen From Georgia". At the albums best the "is it jazz or country?" questions fall away under the swinging joy of titles like "I've Got a Feeling I'm
