Like many obnoxious Americans, I like to occasionally give our neighbors to the north a little good-natured ribbing. Well, that nonsense ends today. Until playing this CD, I had only heard of about a third of the artists on this disc, but it is so exquisitely written and performed by an all-Canadian roster of musicians that I'm completely converted.
This CD has a perfect cover photo; this disc is recommended for nighttime listening only. These 15 songs sound like they're straight out of the Great American Songbook of standards, but they're all new and original. The record company's press release uses the term "modern standards" and that's a better description than anything I could come up with. Songwriters (and brothers) Don and Jeff Breithaupt sometimes give Cole Porter and the Gershwins a run for their money while other songs are more contemporary jazz-pop in the vein of Michael Buble or Diana Krall. What we've been given here is a set of songs so expertly crafted, you think you've heard every single one of them before yet want to hear them again. And each song is perfectly matched to the guest vocalists including the epically pure voices of Kellylee Evans and Emilie-Claire Barlow (both new to me). Even the number that features Paul Shaffer is tailored to his vocal style, both musically and lyrically. I'm adding to this to my "late night romance" rotation of CDs.
Please click on the image below for more information on this top-notch release. Yeah, I kinda dig it.
This isn't the first appearance of the Breithaupt brothers on this blog. Don is the mastermind behind Monkey House and the brothers' two books on '70s music were mentioned in this post.
Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Has yet to chart
Tracks: I'm not skipping any of 'em, but today my favorites are Where Are They Now?, Between Me And My Heart, The Angels' Share, Wonder Boy, and The Style To Which I've Become Accustomed.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None yet, but with smooth, romantic sounds like this, it won't be long until something worth remembering happens. But this is a family-oriented blog, so you won't be reading about those here.
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