In her two previous recordings, The Night We Couldn’t Say Good Night and Love For Connoisseurs, Angela Verbrugge made a strong impression as both a warm and inviting jazz singer and a songwriter-lyricist. Her new EP, which clocks in just short of 30 minutes, consists of additional performances (all but one song being previously unreleased) from the sessions.
Joined by one of two rhythm sections (pianists Ray Gallon or Miles Black, Jodi Proznick or Cameron Brown on bass, drummers Joel Fountain or Anthony Pinciotti and, on two of the seven numbers, saxophonist Dave Say), Ms. Verbrugge is heard throughout in top form. She has a relaxed style while infusing her renditions with subtle creativity and her own appealing musical personality.
The songs include the Harry James/Helen Forrest hit “I Had The Craziest Dream” in a version that includes the rarely-heard verse, a fairly straight vocal duet with Erik Kalaidzis on “Somewhere” from West Side Story, and a sly rendition of “Born To Be Blue” that is taken as a duet with pianist Gallon. Also included are a swinging “Until I Met You” which is taken at several different tempos, the ballad “For You, For Me, Forevermore,” Verbrugge’s “Je Ne Veux Pas Te Dire Bonsoir” (previously released but now heard in a remixed version), and the largely forgotten but haunting “If The Moon Turns Green.”
The singing is excellent and makes one want to hear more from the promising jazz singer.
Angela Verbrugge • Somewhere
Origin Arts OA2 22228
www.originarts.com
