Cecily Kate - 'Standards'

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Singalong show tunes and classics from the Great American Songbook are delivered with a twist on Cecily Kate’s latest album, Standards.

The New Zealand native grew up in New Jersey and developed her unique voice while working with the New York Grand Opera, on- and off-Broadway and even on Oceania Cruises performing with her own cabaret. This diverse musical background lends itself to the eclectic group of tracks Kate selected and produced for Standards. The idea for the project came to her when she was doing a show for an older audience, and she saw how fond they were of these beloved songs. Of course, she didn’t want to sing them the way they’ve been done hundreds of times before. The result is a very relevant album that showcases how talented and fearless Kate is as an artist.

She demonstrates great range and flexibility by tackling everything from “How Are Things in Glocca Morra” to “Where the Boys Are.” Well-recognized tunes like “My Funny Valentine,” “Autumn in New York” and “Fever” highlight her remarkable control and impeccable phrasing. More upbeat songs such as “Stupid Cupid” and “Let’s Do It” seem like they were especially written with her voice in mind which she injects with extra doses of cutesiness and effervescence for good measure. (Thankfully, she doesn’t go overboard in this regard since musical theatre folks are known for their earsplitting perkiness.)

Overall, the nice sense of melody underlying the tracks definitely leaves you feeling optimistic after listening to this record. Of course, I can’t forget to mention the brilliant musicians who play (no pun intended) a big part in this: Brad Ross on piano, Brian Pareschi on trumpet and Chris Bonner on bass.

For more information on Standards, please visit Cecily Kate’s website.

How do you feel about artists covering well-known songs? Do they succeed in making them their own? We’d love to hear what you think!