JAANA NARSIPUR, The Re-Collection

There’s a fine line between nostalgia and reinterpretation, and vocalist Jaana Narsipur walks it with a clear, playfully charming swirl of whimsy, reflection and purpose on The Re-Collection. Rather than simply revisiting familiar material from the ‘80s pop canon – a formative era for her early evolving musical sensibilities – the veteran NYC/Hudson Valley vocalist reshapes it from the inside out, finding new contours on a compelling Brit-centric slate of radio chestnuts (and a few lesser known gems) that have long since settled into our collective memory.

Beyond Jaana’s inviting yet commanding vocal presence, the sensually soulful, sometimes snazzy horn fired arrangements and her intuitive collaboration with her poppin’ trio of pianist/MD Nicki Adams, bassist Marco Panascia and drummer/percussionist Joe Abba, what makes this album transcend the realm of mere “covers project” is her dedicated sense of intention.

From the buoyant joyride through Swing Out Sister’s “Breakout” and the intimate expansiveness of Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” through a dramatic, highly emotional rendering of Kate Bush’s “Love and Anger” and a swing romp through Joe Jackson’s “You Can’t Get What You Want,” she clearly favors transparency and movement over density.

Jaana allows each tune to breathe while still offering subtle harmonic and rhythmic shifts. Whether she’s mining new riches from Sting (“Sister Moon”), Simply Red (“Holding Back the Years”) or Eurythmics (“Here Comes the Rain Again”), Jaana’s voice is the confident, unifying force, approaching the material less as fixed compositions and more like living frameworks, adjusting her phrasing and tone to uncover intricacies that might otherwise go unnoticed.