I’m on another trip, and that means lots of people are saying things I don’t understand. In honor of that, I loaded up the ‘pod with some new acquisitions, and spent the first leg of the trip to Frankfurt listening to some delightful things I don’t quite understand.
One of those – is a new disc from Emilie-Claire Barlow. One day a while ago, after listening to Sophie Milman, Carol Welsman, and Diana Krall, I launched a search for other Canadian vocalists. Ms. Barlow is one of the singers I found, and she’s now one of my favorites.
Emilie-Claire Barlow – Haven’t We Met?
(Empress Music)
Released – March 10, 2009
Anytime you talk about albums that are heavy with standards – there’s talk about that “definitive” version. I wrote about it once, words to the effect of – “Quick – when you think of (pick a song) – who’s singing it?”
Comparing two singers performing the same song can be the difference between a Hershey bar and Godiva. They’re both good, but one is…better. It’s the one you remember. It’s richer, creamier. Sumptuous. Yes. That word fits.
That’s all my way of saying that there’s a new version of “All I Do Is Dream Of You” that will be in my head whenever I think of that song. Everyone who sings it, sang it, or will sing it – will be compared to this version on Ms. Barlow’s new disc. But then, this whole disc is that way – even the tracks that are in French – or Portuguese. Playful, plaintive, sensuous. You don’t have to understand the words, to understand that this disc is hot. And yes, that’s a word that fits, too.
Ms. Barlow sings with intimacy and confidence that are rarely heard in the same package. I suspect it’s from the acting side of her resume – that she can lay down tracks like this, with “You Make Me Feel So Young” making me make the comparison to Frank Sinatra in my mind.
Sorry…Frank is still the champ on that one, but I hope you get my point. It’s worthy of that kind of comparison, and Ms. Barlow wins more than her share. She and the band recently toured Japan, and as much as they like female vocalists there – well, Mom had a prhase. “They must have eaten it up with a spoon.”
I flunked French in high school, so I lean toward the English-language songs for my favorites. The aforementioned “All I Do Is Dream Of You” is my favorite track, along with Bob Dorough’s “Comin’ Home Baby,” recorded by everyone from Carmen McRae to Booker T. and the MGs. This one’s better. A track from Michel Legrand and the Bergmans – “You Must Believe In Spring,” is from a 1967 French film; and the title track, “Haven’t We Met,” will all be in heavy rotation on the ‘pod.
But it’s all good. Ms. Barlow produces, arranges, and conducts a great bunch of musicians who include Reg Schwager on guitar; Ross MacIntyre on bass, Kelly Jefferson on saxophone, Dave Restivo on piano and Davide DiRenzo on drums. Now stop, and play that back. Ms. Barlow produced, arranged, conducted, and perfomed. Yow.
You may have heard Ms. Barlow before. She’s been making a living with her voice since she was seven – as a voice actress for animated features, as musical talent in commercials, and over the past ten years or so, as what one of her agency people writes, “Canada’s incomparable vocal-jazz jewel.”
Gets my vote. Highest recommendation for this. It must be part of your collection.
One of the things Ms. Barlow does – is music for commercials. Here, she covers Sarah McLachlan’s “Ordinary Miracles.” It’s worth 60 seconds of your life:
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