Rave Reviews for Champian's new record "Dream a Little..."!!!!
“[Dream a Little] practically pants with unvarnished vitality….Fulton has set a high bar for herself since her 2007 debut Champian. In recent years she’s released a series of strong albums, each exposing a different aspect of her music. Dream a Little… might be her most pleasingly inviting. From the concise opening title track, she and Weeds establish the house rules with a conversational intimacy that bespeaks trust earned over many years and many gigs. It’s a loose session rife with quicksilver interplay. Fulton isn’t a subtle singer; she’s got an edge of brass in her voice that makes ballads, like a convincing version of “Darn That Dream,” more fulsome laments than whispered confessions. Weeds listens closely and responds in kind, often using his airy lower register as a tonal counterpoint when Fulton’s voice ascends. The album is also a showcase for her pianistic facility. She plays with such swinging joie de vivre on “Once I Had a Secret Love” that it’s easy to forget it’s not an instrumental track.” - Andrew Gilbert, JazzTimes
“Champian’s vocals reveal an evolving, idiosyncratic singing style: unpredictable, surprising and incredibly elastic. She can be coy in the manner of Blossom Dearie’s little-girl warbling one minute, and sexily un-demure the next, as on “Darn That Dream,” where sighs signal mood changes from dreamy to sensual. The words of “Pennies from Heaven” billow in her opening chorus, but she toys with them, submerging the notes of under to the lowest range, in the out chorus. The track also is memorable for Champian’s solo, an exuberant foray into stride piano, contrasting with all her other more mainstream modern piano excursions.” - George Kanzler, Hot House Magazine
"At this point in jazz history, Champian Fulton is the best piano-playing singer and the best pianist who happens to be a singer. With her blend of precision and flair on the keys and her nuanced approach to the mic, she’s been unstoppable lately. Her career validates the old proverb that you get good at what you do: somehow, in between gigs, she manages to find the time to make albums....While this is first and foremost a collection of bittersweet love ballads, it’s also uproariously funny when least expected: Fulton has a subtle and often sly sense of humor, particularly on the keys. As if we need yet more proof that more artists should be making live records, this is it." - NY Music Daily
“Fulton plays superior swing-oriented piano, can sound like Erroll Garner whenever she likes, and is a personal singer who sounds like she would have been very much at home in the 1940s and ‘50s yet does not sound dated.” - Scott Yanow, LA Jazz Scene
“Unconfined by a rhythm section, Fulton sounds freer and more playful than on earlier releases; her playing is bluesier and more muscular, especially in the lower registers.” - Alexander Varty, Straight.com
“…two quality musicians came together to deliver romantic standards. Fulton has a lush, full chords piano style, and a luxurious voice, with crisp clarity of diction. Weeds wove an often complicated saxophone line through the melody. This album is exceptional easy listening to well-known standards—just the thing for a pensive winter evening beside the fire.” Martin McFie, All About Jazz
“Champian Fulton can play piano, she can sing, she can swing, she can be sassy, and can be silky smooth…..One can hear traces of Sarah Vaughan and Betty Carter on the latter track plus dig the Art Taum-esque piano solo on this most delightful ballad... "Dream a Little..." is a lot of fine music in one dynamic duo package. Champian Fulton & Cory Weeds certainly had fun that night (check out the pianist's giddy response to the tenor solos) and you will as well once you surrender to the sweet sounds.” - Richard Kamins, Step Tempest
“the latest release from national treasure Champian Fulton finds her in duet with the excellent saxophonist Cory Weeds–no rhythm section, no nothing except piano, voice, and sax. And because Fulton is equally entrancing as a vocalist and a pianist, and Weeds is a marvelously intuitive and tasteful player himself, every track would count as a highlight on any other artist’s album.” - CDHotList
"Champian Fulton perpétue avec bonheur la tradition des pianistes-chanteuses dont elle est, avec Diana Krall, une représentante distinguée.
Inspiré par Red Garland dans la manière d’utiliser les blocks chords et par Wynton Kelly, son jeu de piano constitue un appui sûr pour un soliste. Portée par un phrasé précis, sa ligne de chant épouse les contours d’une mélodie dont elle tire toute la saveur avec parfois un brin de sophistication." - Couleurs Jazz
“the ten song program will provide you with an hour of hip sounds from two musicians who seem to have a natural affinity. Fulton has become established as a first-rate vocalist, and her piano playing is superlative…” - Joseph Lang, Jersey Jazz!
"Champian has previously shown a willingness to take risks, after six albums highlighting her vocals she released “Speechless”, which consisted of original instrumental piano work in a trio setting. An album any manager would have advised against received rave reviews.
"Dream a Little..." highlights her singing more than any of her previous releases but still leaves ample space for Cory Weeds to explore. Her own piano work is rich and often unaccompanied." - Joe Bebco, Syncopated Times
“[Dream a Little] is music pure where two great artists show how much fun musicians and audience can have playing and listening to these popular songs. If you want to bring this spirit in your living or dining room then order this album and you have Champian Fulton and Cory Weeds playing exclusively for you. Enjoy, you will not regret it!” - Michaels Jazz Blog