At Home in Hespeler

I’m not, as a rule, a jazz fan. I’ve given it a fair shake, even had a turn at playing jazz in my younger days, and it never took. It’s just not for me. There are, however, exceptions: I like the 40’s bebop, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and other classic jazz. I also like the sultry female singers. Give me a sexy sounding diva cooing how she’s got the Fever, I’m there. From Billie Holliday to Diana Krall, the girls have a real tendency to make jazz I can listen to.

Sophie Milman comes from the latter school of jazz. The Russian born, Toronto based, singer’s 4th album, In the Moonlight has a full slate of jazz and pop standards showing off her sultry vocal chops throughout.

From The Beatles (’Til There Was You) to The Duke (Prelude to a Kiss), covering Gershwin’s Do It Again and Antonio Jobim’s No More Blues, Milman covers the full range of styles without ever leaving the romantic jazz oeuvre.

Throughout In the Moonlight, Milman’s voice is it‘s great asset, giving the songs a light sexy touch. She has a voice I can listen to all day, but that lets the songs shine. And while it’s nothing you haven’t heard before, it’s one of the better examples of the vocal style. For that, the album is one of the better examples of the slow, romantic jazz style.

If you’re looking for romance, a background as a Prelude to a Kiss, you wouldn’t be going wrong putting on Sophie Milman’s In the Moonlight.

Brian Gardiner Review In the Moonlight, Sophie Milman