You Started Something

When one listens to selections from the Great American Songbook performed with loving care by professionals, one gains a better appreciation for the music, lyrics, and lasting impact of these songs. You are in excellent hands with this exciting collaboration between singer and musicians. Jan Peters has scored another great success by performing material she was born to do.

Jan is not only a first rate vocalist with a sound that is both silky smooth and engagingly swinging, she is an artist who truly appreciates the material. Lyrics mean as much to Jan as the notes she sings. These songs are stories, sung by someone who actually feels and interprets the lyrics. We in turn easily lose ourselves in the emotional stream that sustains these timeless classics. It’s what makes Jan one of the best cabaret singers in the business.

“You Started Something” features the very best from the romantic songbook with such gems as Hoagy Carmichael’s “How Little We Know” with words by the incomparable Johnny Mercer. Jan glides smoothly through this opening track in league with Tom LaMark’s classy orchestration. Tunes like Gershwin’s “Soon” really cook with a touch of Dixie, and Jan proves over and over that she is as comfortable with a swingin’ jazz number as she is with the finest torch song. There’s the inventive version of “It’s Just A Matter of Time” that puts us into a relaxing finger snapping mood during the first four bars, then builds to a powerful show stopping finale. If you prefer sultry, listen no further than Jimmy Van Heusen’s “But Beautiful.“ With each of these, and all the other songs, Jan displays versatility and a loving command of the material.

I’ve had the pleasure of having Jan and Tom as guests on my radio show. Their knowledge of the songs, composers, and the era in which many were written, along with their enthusiasm as entertainers, is evident to anyone who meets them. And it is clearly at work here. Great music wrapped up in a bow and served warm and inviting. I suspect this will be a special occasion CD when romance is on one’s mind.

In a time when lyric writing is a lost art, when vocal quality and live orchestration is often looked on as something secondary, take my advice. You might want to hang out with Jan Peters and the Tom LaMark Orchestra. It’s a musical trip worth taking, particularly if you have ever been in love...or plan to be anytime soon!

Peace,
Jordan Rich
WBZ 1030 Boston