Album Review: So In Love from Ashley Locheed and Chris Rottmayer

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Album:  So In Love
Artists:  Ashley Locheed and Chris Rottmayer
Label: Timucua Arts Foundation
Website: www.chrisrottmayer.com
Bandcamp: https://chrisrottmayer.bandcamp.com/album/so-in-love

Clad with smooth swing sensibilities, the music of vocalist Ashley Locheed and pianist Chris Rottmayer revitalizes traditional cafe blues chirping on their latest release So In Love from Timucua Arts Foundation.  Comprised of original arrangements on an assortment of jazz standards and classic pop tunes, the pair are joined by electric bass player Chuck Archard and drummer Keith Wilson, whose untimely passing inspired the duo to dedicate the CD to Wilson's memory.

Plunging into the recording, the team's rendition of Thelonious Monk's "Round Midnight" is coated in silky aesthetics helmed by Rottmayer's reflective musings while the feline softness in Locheed's register adds a buttery polish to the track that is of the elk of legendary jazz crooners.  Her vocal elasticity switches to a rhumba tempo along "Day In, Day Out," composed by Rube Bloom with lyrics by Johnny Mercer.  The sunny vibe in the track is infectious.

The pair's treatment of Christopher Cross's pop hit "Sailing" displays beautiful expressions in Rottmayer's lightly billowy keys and Locheed's sleek vocal cascades.  Edith Piaf's signature tune "La Vie en Rose" is performed with a modern upbeat lift in Wilson's rhythmic strokes and Archard's smooth blues-infused grooves.  The duo's interpretation of the iconic cafe blues staple will give listeners a swig of happiness while the slow piano swells strewn across "Windmills Of Your Mind," written by Michel Legrand, pervade a solemn mood as Locheed's hold on poignant syllables in the lyrics project a lamenting touch through the track.

Locheed balances creative vocal expressions with traditional blues phrasing.  The smooth swing sensibilities of the team fuses vintage crooning with contemporary motifs, producing an enjoyable listening experience.

Musicians:
Chris Rottmayer - Piano
Chuck Archard - Electric Bass
Keith Wilson - Drumset
Ashley Locheed - Vocals

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