With a supple sweet voice, Annie Kozuch delivers a fine set of standards on her debut CD Here with You. Uncomplicated arrangements by Jose Gallegos and Frank Ponzio, who’s at the piano leading the band, make for some gentle ear candy on well-chosen songs. Particular standouts include Jobim/Lees/Kaye’s “Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars” (“Corcovado”) in English and Portuguese (while not as riveting as, for example, Morgana King’s version of this jazz favorite, Kozuch offers a sincere reading that is both effective and engaging) and “You’ve Changed,” which is warm in a well-phrased reading.

Ponzio uses the arrangements and band (Gallegos/electric piano, Vito Lesczak/guitar, Richard Padron/guitar, Cecilia Tenconi/flute & saxophone, Samuel Torres/percussion, Saadi Zain/bass) sparingly through out and they never get in the way of Kozuch making this an easy listen. Her soft alto is always on pitch and easy to take. While more zip might be called for on the likes of “I’m Through with Love,” this is made up for on a bouncy “You’re Getting to Be a Habit with Me” which lands on the mark.

Overall, this new beginning shows the promise of a girl singer with some interesting choices and good taste in songs. Opening the album with a foreign language song gives the wrong impression that this is a foreigner. But that’s a minor quibble for one who is off to a good start.

A lilting “Who Can I Turn To?” (Alec Wilder) is not the Tony Bennett hit (that was by Bricusse and Newley), and makes for a very pleasant surprise from someone we should be hearing more from.

John Hoglund
Cabaret Scenes
June 2010
www.cabaretscenes.org