“My goodness, it is brilliant.” – Koop Kooper, host, “Cocktail Nation,” Sydney, Australia (World’s leading radio show/podcast on all things cool and swank) As the daughter of renowned saxophonist Billy Ainsworth, Laura Ainsworth grew up watching her dad accompany such legends as Tony Bennett and Ella Fitzgerald. Her first album, "Keep It To Yourself," announced to the world that the sophisticated vocal style of the 1940s and '50s was still alive and well. Now, her second album, "Necessary Evil," extends that legacy of great music even further, and in new and exciting directions. On the film noir-themed "Necessary Evil," Laura and her partner/producer/pianist Brian Piper (2011 Dallas Jazz Musician of the Year and leader of the Newport Jazz Beach Party spotlight group, the Brian Piper Trio) offer a collection of terrific songs from the 1920s to today, all about love. Not love as a happily-ever-after fairy tale, but love with a twist: songs of heartache, lust, infatuation, fantasy, self-delusion and all the other aspects that sometimes make it feel less like a beautiful dream than a "necessary evil." Love is presented in all its forms, from heartbreaking (Laura's gorgeous new rendition of "My Foolish Heart") to hilarious ("Just Give Me A Man"). Opening with a blast of cool, Vegas-style big band brass from a 13-piece horn section on the title cut, "Necessary Evil" runs the stylistic gamut. Snap your fingers to the irresistibly bopping "The Gentleman Is A D**e"...be enchanted by the lush, exotic world jazz reinvention of "Out Of This World"...be transported back in time with the lilting "Get Out And Get Under The Moon"...and raise a martini to the cynical AC-style anthem to female empowerment, "The Lies Of Handsome Men." In the end, we realize that the only place you can always turn to for true, pure, eternal love is in the great old songs on the jukebox ("I'd Give A Dollar For A Dime). And so the album concludes with the brilliant new tribute to the king of romantic standards, "Last Train To Mercerville." Accompanied by a swinging big band and Piper's genius arrangement, this track cleverly weaves together lyrical and musical references to dozens of timeless Johnny Mercer songs. It's a brand new Big Band classic for the 21st century, and a song that Laura believes her late dad would've loved. So hop on the train back to a time when men donned fedoras to take dames with dangerous curves and long, satin gloves to swank gin joints, to hear great music by a stunning flame-haired chanteuse who's earning worldwide airplay and gushing reviews. But don't take our word for it. Download a FREE SONG at lauraainsworth.com, join her on Facebook and Twitter, or just check out what the critics had to say... RAVE REVIEWS FOR "NECESSARY EVIL"... “Laura Ainsworth has not only met the incredible standard set by her debut recording but surpassed it with her timeless musical craftsmanship and abundant raw talent.” – Eric Harabadian, Jazz Inside “The thing that jumps right out is quality – quality vocals, quality accompaniment and quality songs. This is not another album of cheap run-of-the mill recreations of jazz and big band standards, no sir, this is a rare treat for music lovers everywhere…It is reminiscent of those classic Verve, Capitol or Columbia albums of the 1950’s, but equally, it is so vintage 2013, you just need to grab a copy and listen.” – Richard Irvine, morning show host, RNA-FM/87.7-FM, Scotland “Delightful…Snazzy and jazzy…Charming and genuine… She doesn’t sing like a diva, but like a character living in the middle of the music…Recalls big band clubs in many a black-and-white film airing on TCM…Magically transporting to an era far gone…” – Kevin Thomas, Dallas Voice “Pops in a way that makes you realize just how terrific old-school jazz can sound in the right hands…There were goose-bump moments…” – Preston Jones, Ft. Worth Star-Telegram “As sweet-voiced as a meadowlark crossed with a hummingbird…The kind of gig Mae West would uncork champagne to and then sit back in brocade and rhinestones…One can almost hear Tennessee Williams and Oscar Wilde rubbing elbows in the audience.” – Mark S. Tucker, AcousticMusic.com “Laura Ainsworth is an exceptional singer, full of grace and color in her interpretations…The themes have that night club atmosphere, the songs keep the vintage scene and the musical stage style lives…The popular song (of) the ‘30’s ‘One More Time’ could summarize the talent of this woman. Her ability to express the elements of the most classic jazz is incomparable; she is able to subtly display sensuality, darkness, romanticism, naughtiness, and feeling...Necessary Evil is a smart and brilliant contribution to the world jazz scene; it is a real, passionate and lovely tribute to the composers and singers that some decades ago released these standards; it is a tribute to some key moments in the history of jazz.” – Oscar Montagut, TheWorldMusicReport.com "I don’t know what’s with this whole femme fatale revival thing, but I like the vibe and I like the records when they are done right, like this one is. With a three-octave voice and a pop that played sax with Sinatra, Bennett, Torme and Fitzgerald, Ainsworth brings a whole lot of other things to the table that make this release stand out at once and pull farther away from the pack with repeated listening. This Juice Newton look alike is full of surprises and is a great antidote to the down mouthed canary. Fun stuff that just screams out for a whiskey neat with a water back. Check it out." -- Chris Spector, MidwestRecord.com AND FOR HER DEBUT CD, "KEEP IT TO YOURSELF"... "You can keep all those pop divas. The only one for me is Laura Ainsworth...(She) has beauty, brains, sophistication and comic timing that make her a total performance package...A wonderful modern interpreter of the Great American Songbook, as well as thoroughly modern styles.” – Eric Harabadian, Jazz Inside magazine “Gifted with a sultry, swoon-inducing croon…The whole album is among the year's most consistently engaging jazz releases, performed with class and heartfelt passion.” – AllAboutJazz.com "Jazz vocalist Laura Ainsworth weaves past and present with stunning power...Her voice is like (a) mirror reflection into the past, conjuring black-and-white images of well-groomed gentlemen in trench coats and fedoras, smoke-enveloped bars, and glamorous women whose beauty is nearly as bright as their jewelry...Laura Ainsworth has that effect on the listener, an uncanny ability to flash portraits in the mind with a simple line...It might not be long before Dallas is not just known for its oil, Cowboys, and J.R. Ewing but a funny lady with a jewel of a voice..." -- Robert Sutton, JazzCorner.com “Ainsworth’s voice is sublime as it caresses top-notch musicianship by a slew of southwest jazz players… A very warm, elegant album with just enough big stage flair.” – Mario Tarradell, Dallas Morning News "Singing in a satiny, impossibly old-fashioned, nearly three-octave voice, Ainsworth is the very portrait of West Coast cool…She sings the heck out of these songs… Ainsworth goes on to pull off perhaps the biggest surprise of all on 'Keep It To Yourself,' an update that emerges as the transcendent moment every singer hopes for when they dig out one of those dusty, decades-old favorites. It arrives in the form of 'Skylark,' a been-there, done-that warhorse from Hoagy Carmichael and Johnny Mercer. Working in much the same way as her musical heroes once did, Ainsworth recorded the tune live in a single take. Perhaps just as importantly, though, she did so in a fresh new format – alongside jazz guitarist Chris Derose…The results are devastatingly beautiful, nakedly honest, and a powerful argument for the ageless compositions that Ainsworth so clearly treasures...” -- Nick DeRiso, SomethingElseReviews.com “This silky thrush nails song after song…Listeners will find themselves playing over and over…Hopefully, we will hear more of Laura Ainsworth. She’s worth it.” – John Hoglund, Cabaret Scenes magazine “A spectacular CD...Takes the ambiance of the '40's and '50's supper clubs/bands and elegantly mingles that feel with modern day flair"...An “elegant and classy voice with a sophisticated style..Truly superb... If you are a fan of Diana Krall or Ella Fitzgerald, then you will truly appreciate (this) outstanding CD." – RadioIndy.com "A unique gem...The title track opens and immediately transports us to a posh dinner and dancing club with fancy-dressed women and men with cigars. Ainsworth and band play gorgeously together, creating a charming, classic sound that would fit in any ’50s film with that club scene. I expected Rosemary Clooney or Bing Crosby to appear somewhere. Props to producer Brian Piper and mixer Kent Stump for tying up package that gives due respect to Ainsworth’s voice while never faltering on the instruments... The horns are crisp and each drumbeat or guitar pluck is as obvious as it is subtle...But Ainsworth is clearly the star. What she does with Johnny Mercer’s 'Skylark' and Cole Porter’s 'Love for Sale' is magic..." -- Rich Lopez, Dallas Voice “The best voice for singing Irving Berlin that I’ve ever heard, at least in this century.” -- Jim Compton-Schmidt, “Jazz Building Blocks,” KFSR-FM