“Jazz vocalist Denise Donatelli is a breath of fresh air in a market seemingly saturated with female singers. Her debut recording is a stunning effort. Donatelli has a warm, sensuous voice and doesn’t resort to histrionics to get her message across.”

“Denise Donatelli is a musician´s singer and here she is teamed up with one of my favorite musicians, Tom Garvin, and the results are exquisite, to say the least. The lady does it all, but not all at once. Each tune is given a personal reading that reflects the composer, lyricist, arranger and accompanist’s intent while retaining her own individuality and identity! I haven’t heard such vocal artistry since Irene Kral.”

“…blessed with a pure, powerful voice that suggests the rock-solid assurance and keen intelligence of Ann Hampton Callaway tempered with a soupcon of Lena Horne.”

“Donatelli turns an inarguably sublime interpretation… She is true to the melody without being predictable. Her expression is deliberate. Her intonation is impressive. She has developed her natural musical gifts, and has created a highly musical recording, on which she sensitively and powerfully shares her soul.”

Phil Woods praises her for the musical gifts she has honed despite her lack of formal training. Woods has never been accused of indiscriminate praise, particularly of vocalists. Donatelli justifies every claim he makes for her.”

“In the current market glut of beautiful female singers, it takes a good deal to stand out in the vocal crowd. What makes Denise Donatelli’s release of mainstream jazz (featuring the best Los Angeles studio musicians) rise above the crop is her ability to enunciate and pronounce lyrics with a stunning sensuality. Hear a voice that will remain in your mind hours after the CD is done and do yourself a favor and get a copy of In the Company of Friends.”

“Denise Donatelli brings the rich texture of her voice and the subtle rhythmic stride of her phrasing to the forum through a program of familiar jazz standards on In the Company of Friends. Working with an all-star ensemble of Los Angeles veterans, she’s comfortable with a balance of heartfelt interpretation and sparkling musical persuasion.”

“There is no point mincing words; this is a very impressive debut by singer Denise Donatelli. The arrangements by pianist Tom Garvin are modern and complex with a variety of standards being reharmonized in unusual ways, but Ms. Donatelli has no difficulty singing above the often-dense ensembles, sounding warm, always in-tune and swinging lightly.”