Chantal Ranger is a Montreal groove jazz artist with the joyful energy of a 1920's ragtime gal and the sultry smoky voice of a modern day torch singer.
It's as if somewhere in some alternate universe, Nina Simone, Norah Jones and a Ziegfeld Follie were amalgamated to form this musical fusion of an artist.
Her music can be described as modern groove, though it draws on various styles of jazz from acid funk to blues to very traditional. Trained in theater as well as sound design, jazz vocals, guitar and percussion; her interest in the later two are evident in her songwriting.
While this CD makes full use of the instruments you'd expect to hear on a jazz recording (keyboard, guitar, saxophone, trumpet and the like), I find the music is driven by the rhythm and beat. Unlike many jazz artists who write from a piano or keyboard, here the guitar and drums clearly pave the road the vocalist is traveling.
Her self titled debut CD released this past May on her own label Makin Waves, offers an eclectic mix of nine original songs.
"Downtown clique," "When the sun goes down," and "It don't bother me" are three examples of what I'd call smooth jazz groove. They're the kind of tunes that invite me in off the street and into the lounge for a martini and a cigar. Modern groove with a late '60s early '70s lounge influence, these songs make me want to sit back in a faux fur zebra striped chair like to cool cat that I am at that moment.
But before I get too comfortable, "Busy backsoon" kicks me out of my lounger and directs me to the dance floor to get down with my funky self. A rhythm driven toe tapping tune, its high energy jazz meets dance groove music for an elicit tryst beneath the neon lights.
From the dance floor I head to the bar and pour myself a stiff drink for "My selfish blues." This traditional torch song uses modern technology to give the vocals a tunnel-like echo effect over horn and guitars. I find it gives an added melancholy air to an already blue song.
A bilingual artist, Chantal offers 2 songs in French; "Commes des mouches" and "Désespérément moi". Now I speak French so I'm at a bit of an advantage in knowing how fun and clever the lyrics are.
For example "commes des mouches, ils sont tombés tous a mes pieds" or "like flies, they've all fallen at my feet." OK, it loses something in the translation, but trust me, these tunes are light, sassy and irreverent. Delivered with an energetic bounce, they're still a good listen even if you don't understand the lyrics.
Article comments