Love For Connoisseurs
Gut String, 2022
8/10
Listen to Love For Connoisseurs
The Canadian jazz vocalist Angela Verbrugge knows her way around a song that’s bebop, traditional pop, and American songbook/cabaret friendly, and here along with Miles Black (piano), Jodi Proznick (bass), Joel Fountain (drums), and Dave Say (sax) she brings us 12 spirited tracks.
The charming title track starts the listen with Verbrugge’s pretty, warm vocals guiding the piano acrobatics and soulful drumming, and “Enough’s Enough” follows with frisky upright bass and precise keys alongside the playful singing.
The middle tracks are some of the best, and include the firm and melodic “Cold And Hot Blues”, while “Corn On The Cob” is a quirky and romantic love song that also might make you hungry. “Not Here, Not Now” is the album’s best, and illustrates Verbrugge’s impressive range in a tune about infidelity.
Advancing towards the end, “Quarantine” showcases the strong sax playing in a very topical song about the pandemic, and “Maybe Now’s The Time” exits the listen with help from Jodi Proznick’s incredible bass amid the lively vocal scatting.
Verbrugge is just as skilled at writing lyrics as she is singing, and this debut will certainly turn many ears her way as it’s top notch modern jazz.
Travels well with: Roseanna Vitro- Sing A Song Of Bird; Alexis Cole- Sky Blossom: Songs From My Tour Of Duty