Album Review: What We Had from Rebecca Angel

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Album:  What We Had
Artist:  Rebecca Angel
Label:  Timeless Groove Records
Website:  www.rebeccaangel.net

Merging Latin swing, modern jazz, and cabaret blues, vocalist/composer Rebecca Angel's balmy broth is laden with creamy sensations making her debut release What We Had entirely mesmerizing.  The music gently shimmies and rustles as her gentle voicing massages the melodic swells.  She engulfs the listener in pleasing aesthetics from the calming undulations of the title track to the bossa nova-drenched wisps of "Agora Sim," both penned by Angel.

"Feel Alive" blossoms with a contemporary adult pop coating trimmed in Latin swing accents changing to a smooth grooving rhythm along "Stand By Me," written by Jerry Leiber and Mie Stoller.  Angel hitches the latter melody to a modern doo-wop inspired chassis that fits her vocals snugly.  The Latin-jazz facets of "Jet Samba" feature a sizzling cha-cha in the rhythmic action, saddled by Angel's tranquilizing vocalese as Gottfred Stoger's flute weaves soft flutters while her father Denis Angel adds a plume of wavy ripples on flugelhorn.  The electronica-infused version of "Stand By Me" tweaks the vintage R&B tune with scintillating dynamics.

A complete natural in the Latin jazz setting, Rebecca Angel partners contemporary sensibilities with classic refinement.  She deftly hones the melodies to her vocal specifications and in the process woos the listener gently.  Both breezy and stimulating, Angel's debut effort is beautifully crafted and  diligently arranged.  Her voice is charming and sophisticated, a blend that resonates vast appeal.

Musicians:
Rebecca Angel - vocals
Hailey Niswanger - soprano saxophone
Ricardo Silveira - guitar
Jonah Miles Prendergast- guitar
Christian Ver Halen - guitar
James Genus - bass
Reggie Washington - bass
Adam Dorn - bass
Brian Dunne - drums
Mino Cinelu - percussion
Cyro Baptista - percussion
Sebastian Stoger - cello
Denis Angel - flugelhorn
Gottfred Stoger - flute

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