‘Overtime’ & 'This Isn't Love for the First Time' - Alice Black
Photo Credit: Artist EPK
UK-based jazz singer Alice Black isn’t just reinventing jazz—she’s stitching it seamlessly into the chaos and charm of real life. With two freshly minted originals—the rhythmically punchy “Overtime” and the Latin-tinged, love-soaked “This Isn't Love for the First Time”—Alice announces her return with elegance, wit, and enough groove to fill a late-night speakeasy and a sunny afternoon swing session.
After a pause to raise her family, Alice is back—and if these tracks are any indication, she didn’t just rest during her break, she refined. Her sound, her lyrics, her artistry—everything feels sharp, playful, and refreshingly grounded in real womanhood.
If Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five”, Peggy Lee’s “Fever”, and a 9-to-5 hustle had a lovechild, it would be “Overtime.”
“Overtime” is Alice Black’s jazz confession booth, set in an addictive 5/4 groove with a bass riff that loops like your calendar notifications. You feel the stress bubbling beneath the rhythm—because let’s face it, who isn’t overworked these days? But Alice doesn’t just rant—she sings it with cool composure, her voice sliding somewhere between Peggy Lee’s sultry calm and Dusty Springfield’s emotional nuance.
This one’s autobiographical, written during the early years of motherhood while finishing a master’s degree and working full-time. The bassline—courtesy of Steve Gordon from Morcheeba—adds a subtle urgency, while husband Dave Black on tenor sax slips in like the sound of a late-night train pulling into the station.
Producer and engineer Pierre-Olivier Margerand keeps the production warm and organic, like you're listening from inside a smoky jazz lounge—or maybe a very stylish kitchen at midnight after the kids have gone to bed.
Switching gears but staying smooth, “This Isn't Love for the First Time” is Alice’s ode to falling in love again—not with naive butterflies, but with grown-up sass, sensuality, and a wink across the dance floor.
Leaning into Latin rhythms and cheeky lyrical phrasing, this one is your classy-cocktail-hour jam with a little ballroom flirtation on the side. Think Dean Martin’s “Sway” meets Diana Krall after two mojitos.
The rhythm section pops, with Pierre-Olivier Margerand returning on drums, Joe Pettitt laying down a rich double bass line, and Alice herself tapping into her pianist roots. Her vocals glide, croon, and smile through every verse. You can feel the life experience here: a little wiser, a little less breakable, a whole lot more fun.
Photo Credit: Artist EPK
It’s the kind of track you’d hear at a Latin jazz brunch, a wedding reception, or while dancing barefoot in the kitchen with someone who knows exactly when you need a hug—and when you need space.
Alice Black isn’t new to the game—she’s been performing with the Nick Ross Orchestra, gigging with top-tier UK jazz talent, and lending her vocals to artists like Richard Hawley and Sephine Llo. But these latest releases feel like a personal renaissance.
She’s not just singing jazz standards anymore—she’s writing her own, and infusing them with stories that matter to modern women: balancing roles, reclaiming love, remembering joy.
And can we give her a round of applause for not only singing and songwriting, but also co-producing these tracks while juggling family life, teaching, and a comeback career?
Alice Black’s “Overtime” and “This Isn't Love for the First Time” mark a bold, beautiful new chapter. They’re classy but not stiff, clever but never pretentious, and full of the kind of jazz-pop storytelling that’s too rare these days.
These tracks remind us that jazz doesn’t live in the past—it evolves, it breathes, it raises babies and goes back to school and falls in love again. And Alice Black? She’s right at the heart of that evolution, walking back onto the stage with poise and purpose.
‘Overtime’ & 'This Isn't Love for the First Time' are available now on all major streaming platforms
