Excerpts from liner notes by jazz writer Bob Blumenthal "There is a paradigm taking shape for the contemporary jazz vocalist that, while not unprecedented, promises to elevate our expectations and put to rest any notions about singers being a species apart. More and more, the new voices emerging these days are the voices of complete musicians. The best of them are comfortable with or without words, functioning as composers and interpreters, arrangers and improvisers. Julie Hardy is one of these voices. This recording indicates what Hardy brought to New York’s thriving scene when she moved to Brooklyn after completing her graduate studies in 2003. Equally divided between originals and standards, it introduces us to a singer with admirable intonation and time, excellent taste, and feeling well beyond her years. As a listen to these tracks will indicate, Julie Hardy has put in and continues to put in the necessary work. She will be the first to tell you that she is new and still learning, but in the area of personal, passionate creation, has already arrived.