Some sequels are unwarranted and altogether unwelcome: A second coronavirus outbreak. World War II. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. But there was one return I was happy to hear of recently—Greg Poppleton’s second disc of Tin Pan Alley classics, delivered in his very own vintage Australian style.
Greg—an actor and singer hailing from Sydney—eschews the evergreen hot jazz and big band styles for something a little older still, evoking the vibrato-rich, vaudeville voices of Al Bowlly, Al Jolson, and their ilk. His pleasantly wibbly vocals are again backed only sparingly by brass (Al Daley and Paul Furniss), guitar (Grahame Conlon), doghouse bass (Mark Harris and Darcy Wright), and just a little light percussion (Adam Barnard and Laurie Thompson).
Tin Pan Alley Vol. 2 is more of what Greg gave us with Tin Pan Alley Vol.1—and that’s no bad thing. The track list is again refreshingly rare, with a nice mix of standards and lesser-heard material. “St. Louis Blues” is one favorite, stepping away from Greg’s normally light, upbeat fare to showcase his surprisingly powerful voice and impressive ability to hold a long note. (He is a big fan of the pre-amplification bel canto technique.)
“You Are My Sunshine”—more typical of Greg’s sweet singing style and accompanied only by a softly twiddling guitar, sprinkles of trumpet and smatterings of washboard—is delightfully
