Laura Stilwell; Out Of A Dream

How nice it is to encounter Portland singer Laura Stilwell on her debut CD. Lucky lady that she is, she had the honor of working with a polished and professional group of Northwest musicians including Tommy James, piano; Ron Steen, drums; and Dave Evans, reeds; and either Perry Thoorsell or Dennis Caiazza, bass. And Laura possesses the confidence, ease and a well-practiced, no frills presence on eight tunes you’ve known seemingly forever. How could she miss with such choices as “Day In, Day Out”, “If I Should Lose You”, “If You Could See Me Now”, “Out Of Nowhere” and more. There is nothing forced or excessive here. It’s a simple thing, really. Just combine a lovely, sincere voice with great songs and a thoroughly tasteful ensemble of accompanists, and you have Laura Stilwell and good friends.

Self-produced; 2022; appx. 35 min.