Hello! How Are You?
Caity Gyorgy and her trio
Independent (caitygyorgy.com)
With Hello! How Are You? Caity Gyorgy continues on her path toward world domination of the vocal jazz scene. Jokes aside, since embarking on her career a few short years ago, the singer and songwriter has released two EPs and three albums – two of which have won JUNO awards – and completed a Master’s degree, all before turning 26. With her fourth album Gyorgy not only gives us her trademark brilliant vocals, but her songwriting just keeps getting stronger, too. All but three of the tracks were written by her, in the style of the Great American Songbook, yet they sound very fresh, as Gyorgy combines sophisticated lyrics with interesting musicality.
The album launches with the hard-swinging title track, showcasing Gyorgy’s scatting skills alongside her super tight trio of Anthony D’Alessandro on piano, Thomas Hainbuch on upright bass and Jacob Wutzke on drums. Standout tracks for me are Just My Luck, a slightly melancholy and totally gorgeous piece of writing and music-making, driven by sparse yet compelling rhythm section work. The sharp wit of Letter From the Office Of is a nice contrast. Being a sucker for a heartbreaking ballad, I’ll be listening to Familiar Face on repeat for the next while. I also really liked the rhythmic take on Rodgers and Hart’s It Never Entered My Mind, which manages to make the song’s already poignant lament even deeper.
With this accomplished album I predict yet more accolades in Gyorgy’s future. “Hello Grammy committee! How are you?”
Listen to 'Hello! How Are You?' Now in the Listening Room
