Well produced by Musical Director Brian Piper, West Coast crooner Laura Ainsworth’s surprisingly good debut CD recalls a bevy of classy vocalists from the past and present. From the likes of the great Tierney Sutton to the late Susannah McCorkle, this silky thrush nails song after song on this easy-listening, jazz-tinged, vintage-sounding disc that listeners will find themselves playing over and over.

Oddly, Ainsworth, who comes from a musical background by way of her big band musician father, is also billed as a singer/comic on her web site. She has a strong presence on these songs from the 1920s to today. With lively support from Piper’s trio and a significant assist from saxophonist/clarinetist Chris McGuire on some cuts, this is a product that sounds like a well-chosen set performed in a dimly lit, smoky nightclub out of the 1940s. Based on her vocal accomplishments here, I’d forget the comedy. She’s too good as a singer. And, she knows what she’s doing when it comes to phrasing.

Particular standouts here include a warm “Dream a Little Dream of Me,” a haunting “Midnight Sun,” and a sensual “Love for Sale” that recalls Julie London. Ainsworth’s take on Johnny Mercer/Hoagy Carmichael’s familiar classic “Skylark” is compelling and worth waiting for on this album that is full of interesting surprises that resonate long after. Hopefully, we will hear more of Laura Ainsworth. She’s worth it.

John Hoglund
Cabaret Scenes
May/June 2012
www.cabaretscenes.org