Flippin’ the Moods

With a track list filled with happy titles including “Get Happy,” “Happy Talk,” “Make Someone Happy,” and “Smile,” you would think that you’ll get a joyful treat from Tierney Sutton’s newest album. But On the Other Side of happiness is what Sutton goes for. Remember, “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. / You make me happy, when skies are gray?” It was one of the most tuneful songs for kids, but Sutton isn’t singing it for the kids. She brings such a sad and doleful tone to the tune that when she ends with, “please don’t take my sunshine away,” you would feel as if she’s begging you not to take away her only hope. It takes risks to cover a standard, but it takes ball to completely reinventing the mood and tone of a standard, and that is what she has. With a sensational voice, an ingenious approach to harmonies, and an extraordinary scat-singing skill, she could pull off not only slow tempo, but also upbeat numbers. The way she wraps her vocals around the groovy rhythm section on “Sometimes I’m Happy” proves that she is a versatile vocalist who could make an already fun tune even more invigorating.