Somewhere

Angela Verbrugge is an artist of the first order. On Somewhere the singer offers a sensitive espousal of show-stopping Broadway tunes and effervescently rendered jazzy works, lending the programme an added dimension of empathetic, soul-searching ballads to boot. These seven songs are natural territory for the Canadian vocalist with a beckoning vibrato.

On this disc Ms Verbrugge displays her ease and clarity of language [English and French] as well as her impressive, instinctive feel for the modes of expression voiced by such diverse composers whose work she shines a light on. Add to that the natural sensitivity to the idiom and the glorious sound of each the inspired choice of performers.

Familiar faces return to add elegance and long-limbed inventions to the instrumental side of things. With pianists Ray Gallon and Miles Black, the inimitable bassists Cameron Brown and Jodi Proznick, drummers Anthony Pinciotti and Joel Fountain and saxophonist Dave Say. Special mention needs to be mentioned of a duet with the ever elegant vocalist Erik Kalaidzis.

Throughout, Ms Verbrugge encapsulates and conveys the spectrum of moods with a wealth of understanding and apt vocal inflection. In the quite different realms of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's "Somewhere" and on George and Ira Gershwin's "For You, For Me, Forevermore" [for instance] the musicians' discreetly plush instrumental sonority and the warm qualities of Ms Verbrugge's voice coalesce to create a sumptuous but lucid, luminous soundscape.

The same is true of the sculpted inventions and long inventions of the other pieces on the recording. The musicians' way with the pieces' ebb and flow of dynamics and pace from end to end in each work. Their artistry is perfectly matched to Ms Verbrugge's fluid and eloquently modulated singing.

Ms Verbrugge has the perfect voice for this kind of repertoire. Moreover, the personality of her singing, her agility, and her clear characterization of a song such as [her original] "Je ne veux pas te dire bonsoir," and to the gently floated lyric of Bernard Hanighen and Paul Cates' "If the Moon Turns Green" make the music spring to life.

There is never any doubt, whether in Gershwin or Bernstein, or anyone else that Ms Verbrugge has these songs in her heart and has the wisdom and finesse with which to convey their essence.