The second cut on this sophisticated album is called “Listen to the Piano Man.” It is prophetic and nostalgic coming from one who has spent a big chunk of his life at the keyboard.

Well known for intelligent interpretations of the American Songbook, acclaimed singer/pianist Ronny Whyte’s latest album contains fifteen originals that he says are for other vocalists to enjoy and to sing. They are also a well-balanced, intelligent and sentimental peek into this suave weaver of moods. Clearly, Whyte knows what he’s singing about; “...he plays for lovers lost and found...they find comfort in the tinkling sound” from “Listen to the Piano Man” says a lot. Such simplicity sums up a lifetime of playing in saloons. They’re also the kind of songs crooners like Nat Cole and Sinatra would have gravitated toward. Eschewing the melodramatic or obvious, Whyte goes straight to the heart (or heartache). In doing so, he has produced one fine album that should make waves.

Never indulgent, the songs are mainly about the ups and downs of real life—often told with a wink of the eye. The easy listen also contains solid material for singers seeking that right novelty or eleven o’clock number.

Songs like the album’s first cut, “Something to Write Home About,” swing with the light flavor of an early Bobby Darin ditty sung in crisp, expressive tones. “Here’s Looking at You,” one of the album’s best cuts, is a hands-down winner. It might have been lifted from a Tony Bennett disc. Other highlights include “Always December,” “Looking for New Ways,” “Paris in the Snow” and “You Know What?” It’s definitive cabaret at its best by a master interpreter of the genre.

John Hoglund
Cabaret Scenes
May 2009
www.cabaretscenes.org