Music Review: Véronneau – ‘Love and Surrender’

Reflective of an island getaway in a musical form, Love and Surrender from vocalist Lynn Véronneau sweeps listeners away cerebrally along a jaunt through tranquilizing soundscapes and ambient atmospherics. The silky, smooth fibers of the sonic glides are comprised of soft crackling embers in the guitar strums and slow feathery beats, radiating a Latin flare.

Véronneau’s vocals resound a sultry lilt along “Perfidia,” as the violin strings spiral seductively around the melodic phrases formed by the springy accordion and palpitating percussive beats. The music evokes pleasure in the listener. Mellow and sparsely tiered, “Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most” is a vocals and guitar tune whose rhapsody blues streaks emote a hypnotic rocking.

At times, the music has a Henry Mancini-like carousal ride teeter cruising along “La Javanaise.” Other times, the songs resonate a Claudine Longet-esque winsome nature such as “The Moon’s a Harsh Mistress” with beach-front textured interludes. The samba rhythm lancing “The Road” has an island glint, switching to a R&B/salsa fusion in the melodic swells of “Songs of Love.”

Véronneau’s repertoire as a jazz vocalist/performer is ample in world music formats. She taps into Latin swing, American R&B/blues, and a cool rhapsody style reminiscent of French artists like Claudine Longet. Converging these individual facets into a sweet-sounding amalgam, the recording shows influences from multiple cultures of the western hemisphere and puts them into a compact package.

Musicians:
Lynn Véronneau – vocals and whistling, Ken Avis – guitar, harmonica and backup vocals, and David Rosenblatt – guitar. Special Guests: Etu Dieng – electric bass, Tom King – accordion, Dave Kline – violin, Amadou Kouyate – kora, Bruno Lucini – drums and percussion, John Previti – upright bass, and JP Silva – 7-string acoustic guitar and backup vocals