Album Review: Lindsey Webster, Back to Your Heart (2016)

Album cover for Lindsey Webster's Back to Your Heart, 2016.

A smiling promo photo of Lindsey Webster.

Since releasing her first album in 2013, Lindsey Webster has been making a name for herself as one of the most successful up and coming smooth jazz/R&B artists. She’s been named Contemporary Jazz Artist of the year for both 2016 and 2017 by Billboard magazine, and she’s scored several Top Ten hits on the Smooth Jazz singles chart. I first heard of her when she was interviewed in the Minneapolis Star Tribune last year ahead of her show at the Dakota Jazz Club. I didn’t make it to her show at the Dakota—life gets busy with two small kids—but I made a note to check out her music. I was blown away by Webster’s powerful vocals and her jazzy style. 

Webster has a soulful, sexy voice that’s full of emotion. She mixes R&B and jazz influences into a style that’s all her own. Webster is married to Keith Slattery, who is her musical collaborator as well. Slattery plays keyboards and he and Webster co-wrote all of the songs on Back to Your Heart. 

The songs on Back to Your Heart are primarily love songs, but they cover a wide range of emotions. There’s the bold “Ain’t It Funny,” complete with a jazzy horn section. Lindsey has some sass in her voice on that song, as she tells off an ex-boyfriend who had a roving eye. “Back to Your Heart” is a sultry album opener, as Webster sings about a partner who isn’t there for her. She sings, “My love was always too much/and you could never handle it as such.” The song is an excellent vehicle for Webster’s ability to sing both lead and backing vocals. She’s the only vocalist on the whole album, an impressive feat. “Back to Your Heart” also features a nice solo from guitarist Mike DeMicco—who I saw with the Brubeck Brothers at the Dakota last November. (I reviewed that show here.) The last minute of “Back to Your Heart” is a superb showcase for Webster’s vocals, as she improvises around the melody—it’s fun to hear. “Somehow” is an emotional song, dedicated to Webster’s mother. It’s a beautiful song that anyone who has lost someone they love a lot can relate to. There are also sexy slow jams, like “Where Do You Want to Go,” which has a late-night vibe, as Webster sings about “getting ready to explore” with her partner. The song has a hypnotic groove that’s easy to get lost in. “Next to Me” is a sweetly yearning song, as Webster sings the chorus: “Let’s go down beneath the waves/and stay under there for days/I don’t find the need to breathe/when you’re next to me.” Slattery gets to show off his keyboard chops on that song. The album closes with the sensual “Fast and Slow,” in which Lindsey promises her soon-to-return partner, “We can do those things you like/all those things.” Webster’s vocals on this song are excellent, as she hits some very high notes. 

The musicians on Back to Your Heart are all superb, creating just the right mood for Webster and Slattery to mix their music and lyrics into. Guest star Kirk Whalum contributes a lovely saxophone solo on “One at a Time.” 

If you enjoy jazz or R&B, check out Lindsey Webster—she has a fantastic voice, and the original songs that she and Keith Slattery have written on Back to Your Heart are melodic and memorable. Webster’s new album Love Inside will be released on March 16^th. I’m looking forward to hearing it.