Author: Pangman, Alex

Format: Import

Release Date: 15-02-2009

Details: Amazon.ca Toronto singer Alex Pangman continues her love affair with the jazz and pop of the '20s, '30s, and '40s with her second disc, Can't Stop Me from Dreaming, a charming and highly swinging collection of archival tunes and one Pangman original. Naturally, there's a nostalgic air here since the majority of songs were actually learned from guitarist and producer Jeff Healey's vast collection of vintage '78s. But the renditions by Pangman and her players--with personnel drawn from her four bands, including Alex and Her Alleycats and Alex and Her Jazz Manouche--are reverent without being stuffy. This music is obviously a delight to play, and songs like "It's Unanimous Now" (originally recorded by Frances Williams in 1929), "Concentratin' on You" (a Fats Waller song done by Connie Boswell), and "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Love" sound as witty and lively as they ever did. Besides picking some relatively obscure songs to sing, Pangman also dares to venture beyond the borders of the traditional jazz repertoire by including some western swing numbers, thereby exploring a marvellous sub-genre that went relatively undiscovered during the late-'90s swing revival. "I Had Someone Else Before I Had You"--in which Pangman sings, "My heart has a swinging door and it swings either way"--is a rollicking tune given a classic western flair by fiddler Erin Solomon and pedal steel guitar player Chris Whitely. Variously recalling Mildred Bailey, Ella Fitzgerald, and Ruth Etting, Pangman's unflashy but exuberant vocal style is a good fit for the material. Her one original on Can't Stop Me from Dreaming, "Melancholy Lullaby"--written for the Canadian TV film Torso: The Evelyn Dick Story--indicates her own strong potential as a songwriter. It's also a fine testament to Pangman's deep immersion in this rich vein of music. --Jason Anderson

UPC: 805455007891

EAN: 0805455007891

Binding: Audio CD

Item Condition: UsedVeryGood