BWW CD Review: Laurie Krauz CATCH ME IF YOU CAN Shows Strong, Spectacular Staying Power

Have you had a bad day? Was your boss hard on you? Is your friend getting you down? Have I got the CD for you. Guaranteed to lift your mood and take you out of that crap day you just had, there is not a single moment of this album that you won't enjoy. Released in 2001, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN by Laurie Krauz is one of the most satisfying albums you're likely to listen to, at any time, but if you trust this writer you'll keep it handy for those times when you come in at the end of the day needing something to make you smile and help you shake it off. It is easily enjoyed with a sofa, a scotch, a pot of tea, a bowl of popcorn, a dance partner or all on its own, but the hour-long album is a definite winner.

Ms. Krauz is a jazz singer of note whose relationship with the music she sings is palpable. All those times you listened to a singer with a gorgeous instrument and no connection to the song will be forgotten as Laurie weaves a simultaneous spell around lyrics and licks, staying true to the composer's notes while adding her own interpretation, as any prudent jazz singer would. Krauz is clearly having fun on the album, which translates from the recording to the listener: it's infectious. Whether the track that's playing is a fast-paced Kern/Hammerstein classic or some sultry Sergio Mendes by way of The Bergmans, it is impossible to not experience every bit of the singer's joy for what she does... and it rubs off on you, which is a happy byproduct of the simple act of enjoying exquisite artistry and some damn fine music.

One of the things that is so surprising about Laurie Krauz is what she does with her voice. At first blush, one might consider that the whisky tones emanating from the throat of the singer will be constant throughout the CD... but then, like a musical roller coaster, Ms. Krauz goes even lower - low enough to raise the eyebrows - before soaring to high notes that drop the jaw in disbelief. How clever of Krauz and Kojak to keep that range a secret from the audience in order to surprise them - in fact, I feel a little ashamed of myself for spoiling the surprise for everyone but one simply assumes that, by this point, people know what Laurie Krauz is hiding in that golden voice box of hers. Speaking of Daryl Kojak, Krauz's musical director/arranger contributes five original compositions to the collection, each one impressive and entertaining, but the Easter Egg he provides Laurie with on his own "Duck Soup" is not to be believed. No spoilers this time, this is a surprise that has to be experienced first hand, and be told: it took repeated hearings before I was absolutely sure I was hearing what I thought I was hearing. It is one heck of a sensational surprise.

Mr. Kojak's appealing compositions aside, the album is filled with familiar friends from the history of songwriting, each of them readily recognizable, yet impressively inventive, but nothing could be as memorable as a "Some Enchanted Evening" breathtakingly arranged to simulate sitting beneath a tree during a spring rain, or a "When You're Smiling" introspective as looking into a lover's eyes. Of the thirteen tracks on the generous album, though, especially palatable to this writer were the Bergman/Mendes "So Many Stars" and the first "My Foolish Heart" I've truly enjoyed since hearing Nancy LaMott for the very first time, singing the same song. It wasn't easy picking favorites from a CD so rich with excellence, a CD that is a real gift to lovers of world-class music and mind-blowing vocals. As much of a gift as CATCH ME IF YOU CAN IS, though...

It's definitely time for another.

Laurie Krauz Catch Me If You Can is a 2001 release on the Jerome Records label. It is available on Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon, and Spotify, as well as the Laurie Krauz WEBSITE.

To post a comment, you must register and login.