Laura Noejovich: “Laura Has New Standards” (2019) CD Review

I appreciate the playfulness of the title of jazz vocalist Laura Noejovich’s debut album, Laura Has New Standards. She does tackle classic standards on this album, including a couple of Gershwin songs, but many of the songs she chooses to cover are more recent numbers; thus, the “new” of New Standards. On this disc she is accompanied only by Takeshi Asai on piano, which shows the confidence she has in her voice. After all, there is no band backing her, taking some of the responsibility, some of the focus. And she is certainly right to be confident in her vocal talent. You can hear it right from the beginning of the album’s opening track, a sexy, seductive rendition of the blues tune “Why Don’t You Do Right,” which she starts a cappella. She has you in her grip before the piano even comes in. This is a seriously good version of this song, different from most versions I’ve heard, and features some really nice work on piano. That’s followed by “Misty,” a standard that has been recorded by a diverse group of artists over the years. Takeshi Asai begins this rendition on piano. Laura’s approach to this one has a wonderful youthful quality, and is quite pretty, with some impressive moments, as when she sings the lines “Can’t you see that you’re leading me on/And it’s just what I want you to do.”

There aren’t a whole lot of musicals that I truly love, but Chicago is certainly one of them, in large part because the songs are so damn good. On this album Laura Noejovich performs “Funny Honey,” and does an excellent job with it, getting into the character. (In the film version, it is sung by Renée Zellweger.) That’s followed by “The Fool On The Hill,” a song from Magical Mystery Tour. Could it be a new standard? It has been covered by a lot of artists (though not nearly as many as “Yesterday”). It was never one of my favorite Beatles songs, but Laura’s take on this song is kind of compelling. She follows that with “Somewhere Over The Rainbow,” from The Wizard Of Oz. I’ve heard a lot of renditions of this song over the years, but Laura approaches it with a youthful energy that keeps it fresh.

I’ve said it many times, but it remains true: you can never go wrong with Gershwin. Laura chooses two Gershwin songs to cover on this album. The first is “Someone To Watch Over Me,” one of my personal favorites, and one that gets in my head quite often.  Laura’s voice is incredibly expressive and appealing, and there are moments here when her voice is simply gorgeous. On this track, she gives us something a bit different from the other tracks. The second Gershwin song included on this album is “Summertime,” another excellent choice. Takeshi Asai begins this track with some pretty work on piano. Asai then develops an interesting groove at one point, changing the tone, with Laura right in step with the change. The song takes on more power, more energy, more verve. Then we are treated to a fun, wonderful piano solo toward the end. Ah, so good.

One of the most interesting song choices on this album is Queen’s “Dreamer’s Ball,” written by Brian May and included on the band’s 1978 LP Jazz. Queen is a band that has never really lost its popularity, but these days seems to be in the public mind more than usual because of the film Bohemian Rhapsody. That movie is mediocre at best, but the music is great. Anyway, Laura Noejovich delivers a completely enjoyable rendition of “Dreamer’s Ball.” Wouldn’t it be great if that song became a standard? She also delivers a pretty rendition of “Somewhere Out There,” a song from the animated movie An American Tail (I’m not sure I’ve ever seen that one). Laura Noejovich concludes her debut release with “When You Wish Upon A Star,” her voice sounding beautiful and bright and friendly, everything you’d want from a performance of this song.

CD Track List

1. Why Don’t You Do Right
2. Misty
3. Funny Honey
4. The Fool On The Hill
5. Somewhere Over The Rainbow
6. Someone To Watch Over Me
7. Dreamer’s Ball
8. Once Upon A Dream
9. On My Own
10. Summertime
11. Somewhere Out There
12. I’m Not That Girl
13. Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again
14. When You Wish Upon A Star

Laura Has New Standards was released on November 2, 2019 on Enchanted Meadow Records.