Wait a minute, isn't Sheena Easton the saucy Scottish pop singer who sings those sexy, melodic and, at times, goofy pop songs? So, what's she doing singing songs by the likes of the Gershwins and Irving Berlin?

It's a natural reaction that too many people had when this record was released almost six years ago. And it's also an unfair reaction, especially considering the considerable depth and passion she puts into these performances. OK, she's not Ella Fitzgerald, but then no one is. Sheena Easton is Sheena Easton and she shows enough confidence in herself here to really make the record a delight. She is especially effective on the passionate "If You Go Away (Ne Me Quitte Pas)" and the swinging "The One I Love Belongs To Somebody Else." "The Nearness Of You" emphasizes the clarity of Easton's voice and "I Will Say Goodbye" shows off her deep range. And while her fused Pop/Jazz stylings may not be enough to please the most fierce Jazz fans, it's a nice insight into the wonders that Sheena Easton's voice has to offer.

Far and Away, "No Strings" is my favorite work by Sheena Easton (particularly due to the fact I am an avid Jazz fan). Her vocals on this album are phenomenal. If only she had stuck with this genre of music, she might still be popular today. Because of the low price of this album, it truly is a great buy. Pick it up today!

THIS IS THE ALBUM that proves Sheena Easton deserves a spot among jazz music vocalists. But, one does not need to appreciate jazz to understand it. This is bona-fide, opera-quality shimmering, but it is veiled in discreet, romantic attitude and by her contemporary pop reputation. I had liked a couple of her 80's tunes, but I had no idea she was capable of sounding this adult-like. She completely blows out of the way other pop artists who try converting over to classic-jazz improvisational singing without even the remotest consideration for them. Considering her pop career won't be necessary, unless one looks for support.

She is a true bird of song here, and pulls off even some of the harder tricks of female singers who have sung embedded in the acoustic jazz medium for all of their careers, subtly accentuating the nuances of classic jazz very well. I wish everyone who reads this article of mine would pay the money and listen to this CD because the world would be a sincerer place. She has a gorgeous voice which I had not really noticed until I heard my dad playing the CD. Listening to this, I might think of Julie London, and I like Julie's old recordings. But, new recording technologies tend to emphasize voice flaws much more than old recordings that might cover problems. Easton might actually have a better voice than Julie. Yet, the surprising thing is HOW ACCESSIBLE this disc is--meaning even AVERAGE EARS, young and old, can immediately grasp, appreciate, and comment at how WELL she sings. I listen to all forms of music including jazz like Gershwin and Ellington; I have an opera- and symphony-experienced youth. Check out track five. She's got THE NOTES.

She hits the romantic, husky lows and the grand highs perfectly. Her trills are simply to die for, or to cry for, and she nails them all! Yet she does this with such class and respect to jazz as to beg a highness to the art. She never, ever once seems insincere. She does the tunes in character like the fingers on an acclaimed concert pianist--going between the subtle, low and romantic to the stressing magnitudes in exactly the right moments of change. How strong her artistry is, and what a great sound. To like the CD, one does not need to like jazz, but only to know what good singing sounds like.

The accusation that Easton sounds like a teen is utterly ridiculous! Now, people who appreciate Jazz have different tastes, just like anywhere else. It is possible in a vast knowledge of jazz music to dismiss other music arriving at the destination of such passionate embodiment when it does so directly with eloquence instead of bulk. Whether one believes Easton sounds like a teen would be a person's opinionated description of Easton's sound, but saying so does not mean she is bad. The person who wrote this sounds more influenced by his high personal convictions about what Jazz is supposed to be, according to HIS standard rather than based on her range of vocalization. Perhaps he should test-listen the CD again. This is not Sinatra in front of a large orchestra; it is a woman in front of a small one without strings--hence the name--and her loud-power rivals the brass instruments. Blame the mixing of the recording if you want, but Easton has got the pipes pop artists only dream of having. Heck, give me a teenager who can sing this music with such directness to passion, and I'll take it! Her vocals are a lot more developed and much deeper than their face value. Here, Easton has range enough to shatter a champagne glass.

The voice of Linda Rodstadt, whose personality I embrace dearly, is simply not as good as Easton's upon direct comparisons. Diana Krall is probably Jazz's largest-selling name today, but Krall uses illusion to cover her voice flaws and incapacities. I like Krall, but she's not a great jazz artist. Natalie Cole may be the daughter of Nat King Cole, but I include her in my convictions about pop artists who turn to jazz: Natalie picks GREAT songs to sing, but her vocal LACKS DISCRETION. The difference between Natalie and Easton is like the difference between a trombone and a French horn! Jazz may appreciate the former, but greatness comes from the latter. Easton gives you pearls.

Like most pop singers, at the start of their careers, Sheena Easton's choice of music probably had a lot of input from whoever was managing her career. Her first three albums usually featured upbeat, sometimes silly pop songs, mixed with some rather thoughtful and emotional ballads. Though she had success, with this approach, it was a probably a bit difficult to establish an identity, and solidify a fan base, singing such diverse material. Did fans of "Machinery", "Morning Train" and "Modern Girl" also appreciate "Wind Beneath My Wings", "When He Shines", "In The Winter" and "I Wouldn't Beg For Water"?

It appears that though she did try to record the type of music that was most dear to her, there came a time, beginning with "Best Kept Secret" (1983), and certainly by "A Private Heaven" (1984), that Sheena's music's focused on attaining commercial success. These albums were among the most popular in her career, and through the remainder of the 80's and early 90's, Easton struggled in her attempt to maintain commercial success, and firmly establish an identity. Her 1991 recording "What Comes Naturally", an fine album of dance tunes, failed to return her to the pop mainstream, and probably left Sheena wondering what direction her music should take.

The release in 1993 of "No Strings", was a complete change in direction. It was a return to her roots, the music that inspired her, and made her want to become a singer. Probably Sheena's most personal recording, the title "No Strings", may be a reference to having the freedom to perform the type of music she wanted to, without having someone else in control, "pulling the strings". The album is certainly a complete departure from anything she had done before, or since. Coming from the 80's pop queen, the collection of traditional jazz and blues standards, performed with a backing band, takes a while to get used to. However if you remove your mental reservations, and give the music a fair chance, you may be pleasantly surprised. In performing these classics, Ms. Easton's voice is given a chance to really stretch out, and embrace the material. Soon, you may forget that this is the same singer, who did songs like "Strut" and "For Your Eyes Only".

The tone is not sunny and bright, staying more on the neutral or bluesy side. Sheena sounds most upbeat on the songs "The One I Love Belongs to Somebody Else" and "How Deep Is the Ocean". She appears to be genuinely having fun with her singing. On other songs though, the singer is more serious, determined to "dig down" and put as much "emotional content" into the music as possible. She is perhaps most successful with a beautiful version of "If You Go Away", complete with verses in French. "The Nearness of You" and "Body and Soul", are not far behind. The medley piece "Little Girl Blue/When Sunny Gets Blue" nicely blends two tunes, with "Sunny" being especially enchanting. Another medley, "I'm In the Mood for Love/Moody's Mood 'For Love'" is a free flowing, playful number on which Sheena takes free vocal liberty. An ultra cool version of "Never Will I Marry", winds up this fine collection in an upbeat fashion.

If Sheena's roots are in this kind of music, perhaps it now becomes clear why there were so many ballads, and slow songs on those early recordings. You may have criticisms of her interpretation of these standards, but her voice is more than up to the material, and credit should be given to the artist, for having the courage to take a new musical direction. That this very personal project did not meet with great success, is probably a major disappointment to her. This collection is clearly not for every Sheena Easton fan, but if you care to see her softer, more contemplative side, and glimpse her roots, by all means consider "No Strings". It is a "fast" 46 minute play.

I HAVE NEVER HEARD HER MUSIC BEFORE. THIS ALBUM IS SO SENSUAL. PEOPLE WHO HEAR IT CANNOT BELIEVE IT IS SHEENA EASTON. IT IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES AND WITH SUCH WONDERFUL SONG CHOICES HOW COULD IT BE ANYTHING BUT A WINNER.