Caity Gyorgy with Strings

When Caity Gyorgy won her second JUNO Award for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year, jealous critics crawled out of their hidey holes to diminish her achievement. Unfazed, the Canadian songstress fired back with a brilliant diss track (“The Bartender,” on 2023 album You’re Alike, You Two) and just went on making records—one of which, Hello! How Are You?—bagged her yet another JUNO earlier this year.

This third gong makes Gyorgy the second most prolific vocal jazz JUNO-winner, behind Diana Krall’s seven. It’s obvious at this point that Gyorgy could just go on cranking out award-winning records, taking what has worked previously (trio and big band arrangements) and sticking rigidly to that. But that’s clearly not her style, as evidenced by her apparent commitment to mixing things up.

She did it with duet record You’re Alike, You Two—which was nominated but didn’t win, despite being a fantastic work—and is still experimenting on latest release With Strings. No prizes for guessing how this album differs from those previously mentioned.

Moreover, while some seek acclaim by reworking popular standards, the multitalented Gyorgy is creating whole records of original material, co-written this time with pianist collaborator Mark Limacher. He also stepped up to conduct the 37-member orchestra appearing on With Strings, which was co-produced by industry veteran Graham Lessard.

And what a production it is. I was a little worried that Gyorgy’s revered vocals might get lost beneath such a battery of instruments, but the string-soaked arrangements serve as the perfect sonic backdrop for her starring role. I mean, if they were to release a sequel to La La Land (long overdue, in my opinion), this record could easily be its soundtrack.

Like that movie, With Strings is a modern creation with classical sensibilities. Album opener “That Doesn’t Matter” begins with the lines, “You drink out of crystal, I drink out of polyethylene / You write with a pencil, and I write using mice and keys and screens.” Not just a nostalgic recreation of times gone by, this record is a contemporary exercise in the time-honored art of beautiful songwriting, using the timeless palette of Porter, Carmichael, and Gershwin.

That rich palette includes deep blues, rose tints and summery yellows: “You’ll Learn” and “Memo 267” are somber torch songs which roll and swell like a stormy sea, their tear-jerking lyrics tugging on the heartstrings like a kraken on a doomed vessel. On the other hand, “I’ve Been Kicking Myself” swings along merrily on pizzicato strings and bold brass, while “Sight to Behold” features flamenco-like interludes with harmonized trumpets and a machine-gun snare.

“Pour for the Hour” is a happy-go-lucky break-up tune, closing this eight-track disc with a vocal rollercoaster characteristic of Gyorgy’s style, which draws out the word “company” into a cursive sign-off of about seventeen syllables.

I’ve hardly described Gyorgy’s vocal performance, but it’s increasingly difficult to say anything novel about a voice which has won such plaudits in recent years. Suffice to say it remains pitch-perfect, gymnastic, ethereal, and endlessly listenable. Without strings, Gyorgy is an award-winning performer—With Strings, she’s Oscar-worthy. So watch out, Diana: that four-JUNO lead looks set to shrink, and fast. Check out the new record on Bandcamp, where it can be had for under $12 right now.