L.A.-based singer/songwriter Scott Snapp’s new album is called Without the Music. However, that’s misleading. This very eclectic, nostalgic-sounding disc has plenty of interesting musical sounds to go with some compelling and diverse lyrics that echo assorted genres of musical styles. It all makes for a unique CD package worth checking out by someone who has been singing for a while and been well received by critics. Exceptionally well produced and musically arranged by Bob Esty with musical director David Arana at the helm, the album is chock full of original, easy-to-listen-to contemporary songs by a sensitive songwriter. Without exception, Without the Music is a winner on so many counts.

Singing in a rangy, clear voice, Snapp emotes well and, at times, recalls a modern day Gene Kelly right out of a 1940s MGM musical. His buoyant style often radiates an old fashioned pizzazz, with a hint of melancholy on some wistful romantic numbers. He opens with a full-throttle big band style arrangement on “It’s Our Time” (Snapp/Andy Howe), which sounds not unlike the opening of a cheerful Broadway show. “With Every Breath” (Snapp/Howe) quickly changes the pace and is a darker, more pensive love ballad sung in an easy style that recalls more crooners from the past. “Dreams” is a tender, passionate ballad sung with heartfelt conviction. Here, Snapp shows off his most endearing quality, which is simplicity in lyrical expression. This song, like several cuts on this multi-flavored CD, echoes a faint optimism that permeated much of Burt Bacharach/Hal David’s familiar bouncy songs from the 1960s and ‘70s. In fact, if this were that era, Snapp would have little trouble getting attention on the airwaves. His voice is a soothing light tenor that once made pop crooners from yet another golden age, like Engelbert Humperdinck (whom Snapp often sounds like) and Andy Williams, popular on television and in concert halls in an age when a lot of schmaltz dominated the charts. “Soliloquy of Solitude” is a real winner from a mold that harkens to Michel Legrand.

It’s fair to say that Scott Snapp is a multi-generational style, pixie-voiced romantic who was born in the wrong decade. All comparisons and genres aside, this album is full of fresh, interesting gems by a songwriter who deserves to be taken seriously. With proper exposure and marketing, this album might just place Mr. Snapp in the running for the attention he deserves. The musicianship is first rate, as are all of the arrangements. This album is a surprise with a lot of heart. And that counts for something in an age where little in the music industry makes sense.

John Hoglund
Cabaret Scenes
December 2011
www.cabaretscenes.org