I Love a Love Song! (Nonesuch)
Rachael & Vilray
Released January 2023
AllMusic Favorite Jazz Albums 2023
YouTube:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_k97IG3yqtup7pd5j0FT7JJag1fjGlKJ7w
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/intl-pt/album/0j551HTufOYW6EJ9CQwNrD?si=BW6Ary1eSqCLKLNwoU8RFg
About:
Combining Rachael Price’s singular voice with Vilray’s knack for songwriting, I Love a Love Song! showcases Rachael & Vilray’s sonic evolution as this new project incorporates an elevated big band ensemble. The duo has deeply absorbed the work from their jazz predecessors, taking the best of the past and creating something new.
Recorded at United Recording in Los Angeles, the twelve track album was produced, engineered and mixed by Dan Knobler (Allison Russell) and features arrangements from Jacob Zimmerman. All songs were written by Vilray except for the 1930’s classic “Goodnight My Love,” which was written by Mack Gordon and Harry Revel.
Rachael Price and Vilray began performing together in 2015, although they first met in 2003 as students at the New England Conservatory of Music. Vilray formed a couple of bands with Price’s soon-to-be bandmates in Lake Street Dive. Price recalls he had a nimble mind and quick wit when it came to lyrics. It was more than a decade later that Price and Vilray began to collaborate. She had been on the road much of each year with Lake Street Dive and he had been developing his own solo act, centered around just voice and guitar. In 2019, Rachael & Vilray released their self-titled debut album via Nonesuch Records to critical praise; NPR says, “She can sing anything; he can play anything … Tin Pan Alley meets the Lower East Side in a smoky bar, in songs with a twist of humor.”
Track Listing:
1. Any Little Time (Vilray) 03:31
2. Even in the Evenin’ (Vilray) 03:47
3. Is a Good Man Real? (Vilray) 04:13
4. Just Two (Vilray) 03:16
5. Why Do I? (Vilray) 03:04
6. I’m Not Ready (Vilray) 03:14
7. Join Me in a Dream (Vilray) 03:32
8. Hate Is the Basis (Of Love) (Vilray) 03:33
9. A Love Song, Played Slow (Vilray) 03:48
10. Just Me This Year (Vilray) 03:06
11. I’ve Drawn Your Face (Vilray) 03:41
12. Goodnight My Love (Mack Gordon / Harry Revel) 03:25
Personnel:
Rachael Price: vocals
Vilray: guitar, vocals
David Piltch: bass
Joe LaBarbera: drums
Larry Goldings: piano, organ, celesta
Jacob Zimmerman: alto saxophone (1, 4, 6, 7, 10), clarinet (1, 4, 6, 7, 10)
Nate Ketner: tenor saxophone (1, 7, 10), clarinet (1, 7, 10)
Jim Ziegler: trumpet (1-9)
Dan Barrett: trombone (1-9), trumpet (10)
Joey Sellers: trombone (10)
Produced and Engineered by Dan Knobler
Recorded April 14-17, 2022 at United Recording, Studio A, Los Angeles, CA
Assistant Engineer: Rouble Kapoor
Mixed by Dan Knobler at Goosehead Palace, Nashville, TN
Mastered by Calbi / Fallone at Sterling Sound, Edgewater, NJ
Photography by Jonno Rattman
Design by Taylor Ashton
Review:
Harking back to the jazz of the 1940s and ’50s, Rachael & Vilray’s sophomore album, 2023’s I Love a Love Song!, is a delightfully romantic and swinging homage to the golden era of traditional pop. Showcasing the talents of singer Rachael Price and singer/guitarist/songwriter Vilray Blair Bolles, Rachael & Vilray initially met while students at Boston’s New England Conservatory before reconnecting around 2015 over their shared love of jazz standards and Tin Pan Alley pop. Although they’ve performed classic standards together (here, they take on Mack Gordon and Harry Revel’s “Goodnight, My Love”), it’s their knack for crafting their own swooning, literate songs in the traditional style of composers like Cole Porter and Johnny Mercer that makes their work so uniquely compelling. It’s a vibe they debuted on 2019’s Rachael & Vilray and which they further perfect here. Even if their songs weren’t so good (and they are) Price and Bolles can sing the heck out of a tune. Although best known for her funk-infused pop with Lake Street Dive, Price is a trained jazz singer whose dusky style evokes the cool, West Coast sound of icons like June Christy and Peggy Lee. Equally evocative, Bolles’ warm, matter of fact tone brings to mind a relaxing blend of Dean Martin and Perry Como. They take turns leading songs throughout the album, often trading choruses, or as on the magical, Count Basie-esque “Just Two,” sing in close harmony á la vocal groups like the Modernaires. Other notable songs full of wry, melodic wordplay pop up throughout, as on Bolles’ “Why Do I” in which Price compares her relationship woes to the animal world, singing “clams to my knowledge don’t sigh/and moths ain’t left wondering why/each time their fellow flies out, they needn’t weep their eyes out/so why do I?” Also adding to the air of stylistic legitimacy are the duo’s stellar backing ensemble featuring pianist Larry Goldings, bassist David Piltch, and drummer Joe La Barbera. Also joining them again is saxophonist/arranger Jacob Zimmerman and his horn section, all of which add to the old-school nightclub vibes Rachael & Vilray are going for.
Matt Collar (AllMusic)
