As is normal for me, I loaded this album onto the next playlist and didn’t even look at any details until I had listened to it, so consequently had now idea what was included or the style. I was somewhat surprised to discover that this album of ten songs contains seven covers, and it kicks off with Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth”, surely one of the most well-known protest songs of all time. The reason I was surprised is that this is a lounge jazz album which is very close indeed to dropping into muzak, and all the depth and passion of the original had been replaced with something which felt very one-dimensional and shallow indeed.

The album did not improve after this, as producer and keyboard player Jason Miles has ensured all the arrangements flow and never allows Rebecca to stamp her own presence on the material. “Just The Two of Us” is much more laidback than the original, although it must be said this is one of the few numbers where her vocals do come more to the fore, showing what could happen with a more inspired choice of songs and different arrangements. One song which stands out is one of her originals, “Thoughts and Prayers”, with lyrics which are incredibly deep and dark, yet none of that comes through in the performance which has been smoothed and set so as not to cause any upset for everyone. This debut album shows Rebecca has a fine voice, but it has been massively over-produced and the heart and soul ripped out. It will be interesting to see what she comes back with.

Rating: 6/10

Links:
https://rebeccaangel.net/