Premiere: Standard Time: Live In New York – Russ Lorenson (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

Russ Lorenson reminds us of another time. A time when sharp-suited singers entertained in sophisticated supper clubs, cool, hard-to-find basement bars and swanky uptown venues. It was a time when music had a sort of innocence and accessibility. And Standard Time: Live In New York is the sound of all performed in the perfect setting, as the title says, live, on stage, before an appreciative audience.

But there is so much more than sentimental nostalgia at work here, as those fond memories are blended with the sound of that jazz style, that swing groove and those dulcet tones, we witness the sound of those elements being reborn into a new age and for a new audience. Songs such as Swing is Back in Style are fine examples of this musical torch being carried forward, a song referencing the various sounds of more recent times used as a gentle plea to embrace the simpler joys of the old-school sonics that he revels in.

In the style of the famous crooners of the golden age, and with no small echo of the seductive sound of Tony Bennett running through his voice, Lorenson takes us for a spin through the Great American Songbook, albeit one that didn’t close for business with the invention of pop and rock’n’roll as many will have you believe, but which carried on adding entries right up to the present day.

And so, with a mix of beloved standards and future classics, he and his all-star band run through understated jazz, soulful seductions and bluesy beauty, all moulded into his signature style. And there are some remarkable choices, from the slightly unexpected but totally deserved selection of Lionel Richie’s Hello to a passionate rendition of How I Will Say I Love You, and the beautifully nostalgic It’s Raining Memories; it is a brilliant musical array.

What Lorenson does so succinctly is to remind us that his chosen genre isn’t consigned to the past and, considering the rapid demise of pop and rock sales and a general desire for something more honest, the crooner style still has a place in the modern age. Perhaps albums such as this mark an ushering in, a change of direction, a much called for alternative. He also reminds us that many songs have been written in other genres that make for perfect cross-overs into a style and sound that allows you to truly appreciate just how deftly wrought those songs were.

There are many reasons to buy this album, but mostly because it is the sound of a talented singer fronting a fantastic band before an appreciative audience. It doesn’t get much more authentic than that.