Album Review: In the Wonder of the Night from Angela Verbrugge

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Album: In the Wonder of the Night
Artist:  Angela Verbrugge
Label:  G2 Records & Publishing
Website:  www.angelasjazz.com

Animated, flirtatious, seductive, and soothing, Vancouver-based vocalist Angela Verbrugge can coax a smile out of the grumpiest audience member, impressing a positive effect on the most impervious listener.   Her voice is gently persuasive, penetrating the listener with an effortless touch.  Her latest release In the Wonder of the Night is a collection of Great American Songbook standards interspersed with original tunes by Verbrugge.  She is accompanied by New York City-based pianist Ray Gallon.  Their duets display a simple elegance, highlighting Verbrugge's vocal melodies and lively vocal hooks.

Verbrugge projects confidence in her delivery and sharp instincts to communicate the story behind the lyrics she sings.  She is theatrical without being flamboyant, buoyant without being pretentious, authentic without imitating others.  She is her own vocalist, moving to her own rhythm, approaching  lyrical phrases through her own lens, personalizing them to her liking.  

Her retooling of "S'posin," penned by Andy Razaf and Paul Denniker, brandishes an infectious cheerfulness that lifts the most landlocked of listeners to be elevated.  Her original tune "I'm 99% Sure of You," co-written with Caity Gyorgy, is cradled in a swinging ragtime tempo that demonstrates Verbrugge's flirtatious quality while another one of her originals,  "I'm a Cliché," resonates a cabaret blues vibe, producing a soothing effect.  Her vocals move effortlessly through the tracks from the jovial atmosphere of "The Gift (Recado Bossa)" to the reflective mood of "Moonlight in Vermont," as the caressing strokes of her vocals swathe the listener in warmth.

Verbrugge's interpretation of jazz standards personalizes the tracks and affects listeners in a gentle manner.  Her original melodies are magnetic and entrancing as their predecessors had been while also infusing modern sensibilities into the arrangements.  Nimble, animated, and filled with life, Verbrugge's vocal melodies draw audiences to her effortlessly.

Musicians:
Angela Verbrugge - vocals
Ray Gallon - piano


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