'The Great British Songbook' marks the new album release from vocalist Irene Serra and guitarist Luca Boscagin who present an elegant homage to the revered lineage of British songwriters.
Irene Serra's overall enthusiasm for music continually finds innovative new ways in which to manifest itself. The London-based, Italian-born and Denmark-raised artist has created a multitude of musical avenues that help to celebrate the varying facets of her own musical fandom as well as to showcase her unadulterated talents as a singer and performer.
Through her work alongside the vintage jazz ensemble, La Bouche Manouche, and their range of releases dating back to 'Roseland' in 2019 to the even longer-standing collective of Serra's quartet, ISQ; the latter of which presents a scintillating catalogue that revels within a haunting soundscape that perceives a noir jazz meets Massive Attack aesthetic. Utterly brilliant!
And there's a kindred spirit found through her pairing with Luca Boscagin. An impassioned musician and artist in his own right, the fellow Italian-born and London-based guitarist has notched up considerable successes including frequent performances around London (Ronnie Scott's, Pizza Express), collaborations alongside The Cinematic Orchestra and Jason Rebello and a series of solo releases including the stirring 'Ghost Light' three-track EP.
Between them, Serra and Boscagin have unveiled an inspired selection of songs to best represent their affections for British songwriters and the definitive classics they subsequently gifted to the world - from the Lennon–McCartney-penned 'Eleanor Rigby', to Sting's 'Every Little Thing She Does is Magic' for The Police, and the brilliant Genesis number, 'Jesus He Knows Me'. The oft-celebrated British songwriter Rod Temperton is well-represented amidst the album's ten tracks chalking up interpretations of two classics including a considerably sultrier rendition of 'Give Me The Night' (originally recorded by George Benson) and an infectious take on Michael Jackson's seminal 'Off The Wall'.
While Serra absolutely soars throughout the more up-tempo songs, there's an exquisite sensitivity afforded to her performance for songs like the album highlight, 'Hide and Seek'. The Imogen Heap gem from 2005 is a masterclass in break-up songwriting - a track ingeniously performed acapella with use of a harmonizer but, in the hands of Serra & Boscagin, transformed into an acoustic treasure with Serra's beautiful vocal capturing the song's aching emotion.
'The Great British Songbook' really does offer an objectively top-notch take from over sixty years of the country's timeless and classic releases. With Irene Serra and Luca Boscagin at the helm, the album presents selections that are lovingly handled and delivered with the sincerity that we would have come to expect from the two boundlessly talented artists.
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