It's Wonderful
Susie Arioli Swing Band
Fleming Artists Management
2000
14 tracks
There's a remarkable consistency to the music on this release, especially considering that the songs range through a variety of genres dating from the Thirties to the Fifties. In an era where the rage is the sort of big band zoot-suiter post-war swing that immediately preceded rock and roll, Susie Arioli epitomizes the quieter, jazzy swing sounds of an earlier era. With a band comprising some of the finest jazz and blues musicians in Montreal to back up her sweet but gutsy vocals, Arioli has a winning sound.
While it harks back to earlier times, Arioli's music has a strikingly contemporary feel to it. This is the old music not replicated but reinterpreted and revitalized. With no percussion except Arioli keeping time with brushes on a snare this is cool guitar and piano based swing music. Arioli sings the classic lyrics with soul, not just mouthing the words but bringing her full emotionality into play. This is swing music with heart.
Two instrumentals ("Reuben's Blues" and "Instrumental #2") give Arioli's partner, Jordan Officer, a chance to shine on guitar. Supported by Stephen Barry ("Reuben's Blues") and Shane McKenzie ("Instrumental #2") on bass, Officer makes the performance of these self-composed tunes seem effortless.
On most of these songs, Arioli evokes the sultry cabaret singer filling a dimly lit smoke-filled room with her sensual sounds. She brings to songs of love and loss a torch-song sensibility that makes the listener long for more. Yet on other songs, she shows a real understanding of the blues, bringing to them a soft yet edgy feel.
Arioli's interpretation of Toni Fisher's 1959 hit "The Big Hurt" is an interesting and enjoyable experience. Not as laid back as the original, this version retains the plaintive longing so implicit to Fisher's recording. Arioli's vocal treatment is one of her gutsier on this release, her vocal driving the emotional power of the song.
Another Fifties blues classic, "Trying to Get to You" is pure rock and roll, bringing back the raw simple rhythmic pleasure of rock and roll when it was still just a hillbilly/swing interpretation of the blues. Between Arioli's hard-edged vocal and Officer's rockabilly blues guitar, this is one cool rocker.
Equally cool is Arioli's Dinah Washington style interpretation of "No Smoke Blues" as she laments the absence not of a man but of a cigarette. Arioli carries off her performance with conviction.
The rest of the songs on this release range through sultry torch-songs, jazz, blues, jump jive, and a compendium of styles that may be categorized loosely as swing music. The mix is more eclectic than it may at first seem, yet it's a controlled and unified presentation by a group of highly skilled musicians.
It's Wonderful is a very important debut release by a Canadian artist who I'm sure will continue to surprise and delight us.
To learn more about Susie Arioli, her music, and the Susie Arioli Swing Band, be sure to visit susiearioli.com.
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