FALL IN BIG CRAZY LOVE WITH COURTNEY FREED

Ah, let the worries of the world simply melt away as chanteuse Courtney Freed takes you on a journey with her breezy new album Big Crazy Love. With a very wide and break-free range, and lightly tittering vibrato, Freed offers her own accessible tunes (“When We Were Lovers” has that jazz waltz feel of a Bacharach tune, with lilting flute from Josh Gilbert) alongside original covers of international greats Antí´nio Carlos Jobim (“No More Blues”) and Mexican composer Marí­a Grever (the Bossa Nova-inspired “What a Difference a Day Makes” with tropical-laced, intricate guitar work by Hamody Hindi). The oft-covered standard by James Shelton, “Lilac Wine,” gets a wholly unique string-trio treatment (Patti King, violin; arranger Kyleen King, viola; Anna Fritz, cello). We love the piano bar, torch song rendition of Freddie Mercury’s “Melancholy Blues,” with scratchy honky-tonk by keyboardist David Saffert, but the runaway favorite is the infectious, Samba-esque “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” (yes, George Michael’s Go-Go). Simply a delight.

*****Highly Recommended

photos by Karen Pride

Available From All Major Streaming Services
www.courtneyfreedmusic.com