Review at a glance
Having walked out of the finals of French Idol, vowing to do it her way, then scooped a clutch of jazz vocal awards after moving to the States, Aimée brings her sweet-voiced charm and gypsy swing to a sophomore album that should fast-track the stardom she deserves.
Kicking off with a spirited take on Sondheim’s Live Alone and Like It, Aimée zooms brightly through a mix of standards and originals sung in English, French and Spanish, scatting here, emoting there, each song more loved up than the last.
Highlights include a flying, vintage-style Three Little Words, with deft drum solo by Ravi Jayaweera, and a version of a song poem by Dominican megastar Juan Luis Guerra so lovely you’ll be hugging yourself.
(Mack Avenue Records)