Album Review: Howlin' at the Moon from Carmela Rappazzo
Album: Howlin' at the Moon
Artist: Carmela Rappazzo
Label: Self-Released
Website: https://www.carmelarappazzo.com
Showing a penchant for songs meant for intimate settings, vocalist Carmela Rappazzo creates an atmosphere where she is singing privately to the listener on her new recording Howlin' at the Moon. Track after track, the songs project the impression that she is holding a private conversation with each individual listening. The warmth emanating from her vocals is calming, and the storytelling-bent in her delivery gives the tracks a poetic stride.
The tempos range from slow simmers like "Haunted" to jazzy rompers like the title track, embellished in bop-enriched trimmings. The swinging rhythm of "Rush of Heat" brings audiences back to the days when marquee magnets like Frank Sinatra and Lena Horne headlined at music halls. The recording changes to a contemporary pop shading through "State of Grace" as Rappazzo's fluid vocals produce a hypnotic aura, contoured by the exotic Middle Eastern accents of Mahmoud Chouki's lutar.
The gentle rustle of her vocals is suspended above the soft billow of Jasen Weaver's subdued bass drifting ligthly along "Lullaby of the Leaves." The trumpet solo in the track performed by Steve Lands soars boldly while the softer voice of the saxophone played by Jeronne Amari Ansari takes a supportive role, buffing the melody to a smooth jazz sheen. The candlelight ambience of "Making My Way Back To You" has a straight-ahead jazz arrangement accompanying Rappazzo. Her vocal nuances and intuitive inflections personalize the track, giving the song a classy distinction.
The mature demeanor of Rappazzo's vocals infuse a sophistication and density in the tracks that ranks alongside marquee magnets like Sinatra and Lena Horne. Her vocals are the driving force in the tracks, rising above the instrumentation and leading their melodic course. The nuances in her vocals and inflections imprinted in her delivery project deep emotions that produce an intimate bond with the listener.
Musicians:
Carmela Rappazzo - vocals
Oscar Rossignoli - piano
Jasen Weaver - bass
Gerald T. Watkins, Jr. - drums
Steve Lands - trumpet
Jeronne Amari Ansari - saxophone
Mark McGrain - trombone
Steve Glenn - tuba
Mark Carroll and Paul Sanchez - backing vocals
Mahmoud Chouki - lutar
Artist: Carmela Rappazzo
Label: Self-Released
Website: https://www.carmelarappazzo.com
Showing a penchant for songs meant for intimate settings, vocalist Carmela Rappazzo creates an atmosphere where she is singing privately to the listener on her new recording Howlin' at the Moon. Track after track, the songs project the impression that she is holding a private conversation with each individual listening. The warmth emanating from her vocals is calming, and the storytelling-bent in her delivery gives the tracks a poetic stride.
The gentle rustle of her vocals is suspended above the soft billow of Jasen Weaver's subdued bass drifting ligthly along "Lullaby of the Leaves." The trumpet solo in the track performed by Steve Lands soars boldly while the softer voice of the saxophone played by Jeronne Amari Ansari takes a supportive role, buffing the melody to a smooth jazz sheen. The candlelight ambience of "Making My Way Back To You" has a straight-ahead jazz arrangement accompanying Rappazzo. Her vocal nuances and intuitive inflections personalize the track, giving the song a classy distinction.
The mature demeanor of Rappazzo's vocals infuse a sophistication and density in the tracks that ranks alongside marquee magnets like Sinatra and Lena Horne. Her vocals are the driving force in the tracks, rising above the instrumentation and leading their melodic course. The nuances in her vocals and inflections imprinted in her delivery project deep emotions that produce an intimate bond with the listener.
Musicians:
Carmela Rappazzo - vocals
Oscar Rossignoli - piano
Jasen Weaver - bass
Gerald T. Watkins, Jr. - drums
Steve Lands - trumpet
Jeronne Amari Ansari - saxophone
Mark McGrain - trombone
Steve Glenn - tuba
Mark Carroll and Paul Sanchez - backing vocals
Mahmoud Chouki - lutar
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