Album Review: Mad Romance And Love from Maurice Frank

Album:  Mad Romance And Love
Artist:  Maurice Frank
Label:  Jumo Music
Website:  www.mauricefrank.com

Blues crooner Maurice Frank performs a stimulating rendition of swinging jazz numbers on his latest release Mad Romance And Love.  His contemporary interpretation of such nostalgic tunes as Hoagy Carmichael and Johnny Mercer's memorable "How Little We Know" and  Billy Strayhorn and John Latouche's lounging melody " Day Dream" are captured in his soothing vocalese.  The lyrics are cradled in his register as though they were precious gems, needed to be handled with care.  His affection for these songs is palpable.

His performance of Robert Wright and George Forrest's showtune "Baubles, Bangles, and Beads" rekindles a famous favorite from the Great American Songbook, possessing the sultry swagger of Michael Feinstein and the dreamy resonance of Paul Anka.  His refreshing interpretation of "In My Life," penned by the Beatles, revitalizes a classic pop standard.  The emotion and warmth he puts into his delivery moves the audience, touching them personally.  His duet with Luques Curtis playing acoustic bassist on Frederick Loewe and Alan Jay Lerner's timeless tune "On The Street Where You Live" is a new way to hear the song and one interpretation that presents the melody in a pleasing phrasing.

Frank's offering is enjoyable in its entirety.  The soothing and sultry textures of his timbres project a soulful resonance that personalizes the tracks while giving them a contemporary polish.  His fluency as a blues crooner is steep in tradition, and his devotion to melodic lyricism is strong.  Growing up in Yonkers, New York,  he lists some of his musical influences as Nat Cole, Sinatra, Mel Torme, Ray Charles, Louie Prima, and Tony Bennett, all of whom can be heard in Frank's singing style.

Musicians:
Maurice Frank - vocals
Eric Alexander - tenor saxophone
John DiMartino - piano
Aaron Heick - soprano saxophone, clarinet, and alto flute
Paul Meyers - guitar
Luques Curtis - acoustic bass
Obed Calvaire - drums
Samuel Torres - percussion