Somewhere

Among these seven songs performed by Canada's Angela Verbrugge is the artist's own "Je ne veux pas te dire bonsoir," which, like the album generally, is infused with romanticism. Unlike the others, though, it was written by the artist herself, which leaves us keen to hear more of her own compositions in future. Also vying for pride of place here is the great Leonard Berstein/Stephen Sondheim song "Somewhere" from "West Side Story." This rendition of that beloved song is gentle, restrained, and introspective, deliberately more subdued, somehow, than what we've heard elsewhere. There's a gentle poignancy to "If the Moon Turns Green," with lyrics that speak to the inner romantic in all of us: "Just when I thought that fate was unkind, that happiness wasn't to be..." "For You, For Me, Forevermore" by George & Ira Gershwin is a lullaby for grownups with an irresistibly tender accessibility. "Born to be Blue," with its jazzy, bluesy sound, has an appealing intimacy that makes you feel like the singer is nearby, singing just to you. For its part, "Until I Met You" has playful changes in tempo while "I had the Craziest Dream" gives us the sense that the singer is confiding just to us. Throughout this selection of songs, Verbrugge has a lovely voice which exudes sincerity: neither showy nor stagey, it offers a very appealing natural authenticity in the setting of these mostly jazzy pieces. She was nominated as Jazz Artist of the Year at the Western Canadian Music Awards in 2024. Her accompanists on this album are Ray Gallon & Miles Black on piano, Cameron Brown & Jodi Praznick on bass, Anthony Pinciatti & Joel Fountain on drums, Dave Say on saxophone, and Erik Kalaidzis as vocal partner on "Somewhere."