Jazz singer Tammy Weis and pianist Tom Cawley have co-written the first song on the new Erin Boheme album What A Life. Produced by Michael Bublé the album features the star crooner’s band, with Wisconsin-born Boheme (above) duetting with the Bublé-sounding Spencer Day on the excellent ‘I’d Love To Be Your Last.’ Weis, a British Canadian singer who has become an integral part of the sophisticated UK mainstream jazz vocals scene with her highly rated jazz club appearances and recordings, together with Cawley better known for his work with Curios and Peter Gabriel, have written ‘Everyone But Me’ driven by a kind of modified rumba feel, think the feel of Caro Emerald’s ‘A Night Like This.’
It’s a snappy opening to a record that seems guaranteed to receive commercial radio airplay. Bublé fans will head straight for ‘I’d Love to Be Your Last’ which has the potential to be a huge hit with its crossover country sound.
Less alt.country than Lady Antebellum there’s a kind of zeitgeisty 1970s vibe coming through as well on the album from around fifth track ‘The Last Time’ written by David Foster who also penned the Diana Krall performed song ‘I’ll Make It Up As I Go’ featured on Robert De Niro-starring film The Score. ‘Do I Do’ has got instant impact and mainstream soul fans might very well take to Boheme’s superb self-penned and jazzy ‘One More Try’.
Originally signed to Concord at just 17, a protégée of the distinguished jazz pianist and arranger Mike Melvoin who helped Boheme in the early part of her career Michael Bublé also warmed quickly to Boheme’s voice and her putatively Carly Simon-inspired sound. His touring band has worked with the singer on the sessions for the album, with pianist Alan Chang, guitarist Dino Meneghin, bassist Craig Polasko and drummer Rob Perkins appearing plus strings. Boheme says that Weis and Cawley’s song ‘Everyone But Me’ “was the story of my life”, and other songs on the album include a cover of Coldplay’s ‘In My Place’ and Boheme’s ‘What A Life’.”
Stephen Graham
Released on 5 February in the US. Erin Boheme pictured top. Tammy Weis above right. UPDATE: UK release, 25 March