Reviewed by Stefano Nuzzo (Florence, Italy)

For many years, Joyce Breach developed her singing craft in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, listening, performing, becoming a major force in the local cabaret community, and recording two albums that were released by Audiophile Records. In the early 1990s Breach decided to attempt the triple-somersault without a net by heading to New York and trying to build a singing career there. What might have seemed a risky move turned out to be a fairly successful one, as she soon managed to find herself a niche in the world of New York cabaret, where competition is steep and the possibility of making big money is reserved for a fortunate few.

All the while Breach has kept recording steadily for Audiophile, always choosing the best material to sing and the best musicians to sing with – the names of pianists Richard Rodney Bennett and William Roy speak for themselves. For her sixth and latest album, Reel Songs, as on her previous release Nothing but Blue Skies, Keith Ingham accompanies, leading a quintet that provides a perfect backing for a selection of songs originally introduced in the movies. Apart from being blessed with a great voice and a much musicality, Breach is one of those singers who always makes a point to select top-drawer material, mixing famous standards with rare and rescued gems. Reel Songs is no exception; along with familiar tunes like The Tender Trap or The Boy Next Door we can appreciate All That Love Went to Waste, Love Can Change the Stars, Mind if I Make Love to You? and other delightful screen songs that haven’t been recorded often.

There isn’t a better season than autumn for this CD to be released: Once you’ve started listening to it you’ll feel like you’re outside breathing the fresh autumn air, with the crispy sound of dry leaves beneath your shoes. That’s the effect of Breach’s voice; it’s a contralto with a very personal timbre. Shades of Sylvia Syms and Peggy Lee appear here and there, but hers is an instantly recognizable sound. She has a great control over her pitch and vibrato, and being part of the "hidden technique" school, she prefers to play with the colors of her voice and with her timbre rather than dazzling the listener with displays of vocal virtuosity by jumping registers or messing with embellishments.

Sobriety is the term that come as more appropriate to define her style. Breach remains most of the time on the musical path set by the written notes, letting the music flow naturally from her, bringing it gently to the listener like a gift. She’s never particularly theatrical, yet her style is anything but dull. On a repeated listening, one discovers a little detail in her phrasing that hadn’t been noticed before. Above all, Breach certainly knows how to ride the rhythm, managing to swing as subtly and effectively as Lee does. This is certainly clear on light up-tempo songs such as the wonderful opener I’m a Dreamer, Aren’t We All?, You Wonderful You or Zing a Little Zong, but it’s amazing to notice how effectively she can make a ballad swing, just by keeping a relaxed approach in her phrasing. She really knows how to tell a story, and even though her diction is impeccable, she always tosses the words in a carefree, natural way (notice how she phrases "once again" on the last part of That Old Feeling) as if she were telling some anecdote to a friend over the telephone. This simple, friendly and colloquial phrasing is accompanied by a very sophisticated vocal production, and this mixture of chic and casual is Breach’s best asset.

Another great quality is the frequent inclusion of the verse to the song, particularly when the verse is applied to songs that are mostly known only from their chorus as in There Will Never Be Another You and Laura. The latter is probably the highlight of the album; it’s done in a medley with The Bad and the Beautiful, which is a Keith Ingham solo. When Breach begins Laura, at first one doesn’t recognize the song because of its rare verse. Then she starts into the chorus, and her voice begins to float with an eerie, ghost-like quality, helped by Randy Reinhart’s trumpet on the background. The way she prolongs the final vowels in the key words of the song is a fascinating device to evoke the nocturnal atmosphere of the song,

On The Tender Trap it’s wonderful to witness a de-Sinatrazation of the song. Breach sings it with a very strong bass-line behind her and the saxophone commenting here and there. When everything in the song seems prepared for a typical Sinatra-esque delivery, with the words "snap," "whap," "trap," "map," etc. to be sung with a heavy emphasis, Breach arrives and sings those words en passant, without giving them any particular accent. In doing so she manages to shift our attention to the rest of the lyrics – to the whole story rather than the rhythmic pulse of the song.

On the medley combining Love Is a Many Splendored Thing with Tender Is the Night, the listener can feel the freshness of a mountain stream with the former and the warmth of a summer night with the latter, where the percussion adds a sultry tropical taste. The slightly petulant edge that she gives to the word "pet" on Zing a Little Zong (just one word is worth the whole song), the downright lustful, insinuating Wild Is the Wind – these are just a few facets to be discovered in a wonderful album by a singer who shouldn’t have to keep a day job to sustain her singing career.

Tracks
1. I’m a Dreamer, Aren’t We All? (Henderson, Brown, Desylva)
2. Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing / Tender Is The Night (Fain, Webster / Warren, Robin)
3. Zing a Little Zong (Warren, Robin)
4. That Old Feeling (Warren, Brown)
5. Mind If I Make Love to You? (Porter)
6. That’s for Me (Rodgers, Hammerstein)
7. All That Love Went to Waste (Barrie, Cahn)
8. The Bad and the Beautiful / Laura (Raskin /Raskin, Mercer)
9. You Wonderful You (Warren, Brooks, Chaplin)
10. A Very Precious Love / A Certain Smile (Fain, Webster / Fain, Webster)
11. The Tender Trap (Van Heusen, Cahn)
12. Love Can Change the Stars (Martin, Blane)
13. The Boy Next Door (Martin, Blane)
14. Oh, But I Do ! (Schwartz, Robin)
15. The Best of Everything (Newman, Cahn)
16. Wild Is the Wind (Tiomkin, Washington)
17. Did I Remember? (Donaldson, Adamson)
18. There Will Never Be Another You (Warren, Gordon)

With Keith Ingham, piano; Murray Wall, string bass; Steve Little, drums; Randy Reinhart, trumpet, trombone; Scott Robinson, clarinet, tenor saxophone. Recorded February 29, March 1and 2, 1999 in New York.