Paris After Dark
Hear Me Roar, 2025
9/10
The multi-lingual jazz vocalist Sacha Boutros celebrates 100 years of French and American composers with these 10 tracks that touch on pop, blues, jazz and swing.
The warm guitar from Hugo Lippi opens “Je Reviens te Chercher” with plenty of warmth amid Boutros’ elegant pipes, and “Si tu Vois Ma Mère” follows with Franck Amsallem’s intimate keys that suit the cozy enunciation via the flowing vocals.
Halfway through, the frisky “April In Paris” welcomes Thomas Bramerie’s playful bass to the timeless jazz singing, while “La Javanaise” makes great use of Tony Rabeson’s stylish drumming alongside the infectious voice that creates a charming mood.
“In The Still Of The Night” arrives late and is a hushed, romantic album highlight, and “La Belle Vie” exits with a contagious energy that utilizes Stéphane Belmondo’s glowing trumpet to complement the precise rhythm section.
Essentially a love letter to Paris, Boutros treats us to French pop songs of the ‘60s and ‘70s, as well as American standards with her inimitable voice front and center.
Travels well with: Hannah Gill- Spooky Jazz Vol. 3; Emma Hedrick- Newcomer