Love For Sales

James Torme is the son of jazz singer Mel Torme, and as such has some huge shoes to fill; perhaps that's why he put of cutting this debut album till he was 38 years old. He grew up listing to Ella Fitzgerald and Michael Jackson, and had his mind set on a career as a pop and R&B singer until he started performing an a cappella take of Monk's "'Round Midnight" to close his shows. The response convinced him to switch gears and start exploring the classic American songbook. Young Torme sounds a lot like his dad did when he was younger. He the relaxed phrasing that makes his singing seem effortless without skimping on emotion. He's also a songwriter, and his originals aren't half bad. "A Better Day Will Come," which won the John Lennon Songwriting Contest award for Best Jazz Song in 2009, is a breezy, optimistic swinger that sounds like an instant standard. "One or the Other" is a relaxed pop tune with an R&B feel, which has the singer trying to choose between two lovers, a guy who wants to have his Kate and Edith too. His vocal strikes a perfect balance between sincerity and smug self-confidence. The rest of the album consists of covers of classic tunes sung with the same laid-back confidence his dad employed. He sings the mournful introductory verses to "Autumn Leaves" in the original French, then changes up and finishes with a driving, jazzy version that includes a snappy scat interlude. He tackles his dad's early hit "Comin' Home Baby" and it stacks up favorably to Mel's with its smooth, confident delivery. The only misstep is his cover of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together," which gets an easy listening arrangement that's more Steely Dan than Memphis soul. ~ j. poet