Ever since its creation nearly 60 years ago, ‘Bossa Nova’ has been celebrated as a lyrical fusion of American Jazz and Brazilian samba. In Autumn 2020 rock artist Zoe Scott has dipped her toes into the rhythmic waters with her new record ‘Shades Of Love’.
The album opens with a gorgeous song entitled ‘Quiet Nights’ which features Daniel Jobim , the grandson of the song’s writer Antonio Carlos Jobim on a melodic acoustic piano combined with Zoe Scott’s pleasing lead vocal.
The crisp electric guitar on ‘I’ll Stand By You’ is the perfect accompaniment to Scott’s clear voice
Once again, the writing talent of Jobim returns with the percussive ‘Waves’ as Daniel provides scatting full of emotion.
Burt Bacharach compositions including ‘Baby It’s You’ (which was previously recorded by The Beatles and The Shirelles) and his co-write with Hal David ‘This Girl’s In Love With You’ (recorded by Herb Alpert) are fascinating inclusions with light brush-drumming and romantic trumpet.
‘The More I See You’ is a stone-cold classic from the Roman Polanski film ‘Frantic’ which starred Harrison Ford and opens with a gorgeous trombone which adds a flourish of colour to the proceedings.
Next the Stevie Wonder hit ‘My Cherie Amour’ receives the lush Bossa Nova treatment complete with a lush string arrangement intro which would not be out of place at a Barbra Streisand concert. The song just floats along like a graceful cloud and is a real highlight.
‘In My Life’ was recorded by The Beatles and sways with lavish strings emphasised with a rich harmonica tone.
‘Triste’ puts beaches in your mind and the backing vocals are sublime and remind this scribe of Steely Dan.
The final track is ‘You Know I’m No Good’ by the late Amy Winehouse is skilfully performed but it takes some time to adjust to hearing the line “Run out to meet you, chips and pitta” sung in an American accent because the material is very London in subject matter. The video, below, sees a couple dance through the streets of London in a melding of tradition samba dance and the gritty modern urban landscape of the capital city.
In conclusion, ‘Shades Of Love’ is full of first-class musicianship, thoughtful song curation, high production value and a powerful vocal that puts the material at the forefront. This should entertain Bossa Nova fans old and new with her combination of admiration for the genre and her emotional vocal.
