LOUISE ALEXANDRA, Crazy World of Love

Dutch-American vocalist, songwriter and cancer research scientist Louise Alexandra explores love, memory, hope and heartbreak from multiple fascinating angles on Crazy World of Love, an engaging collection that balances thoughtful, soulful originals with fresh takes on standards and wildly inventive vocalese. Working with Dutch piano master Rob van Bavel and an excellent ensemble featuring bassist Frans van Geest, guitarist Vincent Koning, drummer Marcel Serierse and saxophonist Jan Menu, Alexandra creates a recording that feels all at once intimate and adventurous.

One of the veteran singer’s most distinctive qualities is her ability to approach a song as both vocalist and instrumentalist. While her clear tone, expressive phrasing and storytelling skills anchor and drive every performance, she often sings with the rhythmic freedom and melodic instincts of a jazz horn player. At times, her vocal lines seem to shadow the contours of a saxophone solo, blurring the line between lyric interpretation and improvisation.

The album opens brightly with Burton Lane and Alan Jay Lerner’s “Too Late Now,” where Alexandra’s playful wordless vocals give way to a relaxed swing accented by elegant piano and smoky saxophone. The upbeat treatment of Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen’s “All My Tomorrows” follows with buoyant energy and optimism, while “East of the Sun” showcases her knack for matching the vitality of the instrumentalists around her through lively phrasing and spirited interplay.

Among the originals, “Castle in the Sky” stands out as a particularly effective showcase for Alexandra’s songwriting. Framed by van Bavel’s graceful piano work, the song reflects on a romance whose promise slowly fades, balancing melancholy lyrics with melodic warmth. The reflective “We Had It All” offers another highlight, its vivid memories and emotional honesty creating one of the album’s most personal moments.

A recurring theme throughout the project is Alexandra’s ability to honor jazz tradition while making it unmistakably her own. The quirky and playful, high energy title track carries special significance, inspired by the original version recorded by her late mentor Rebecca Parris. Alexandra transforms Parris’ improvisation into a new vocalese, creating a touching artistic connection between teacher and student that resonates throughout the album. Elsewhere, her reimagining of Michel Legrand’s “The Summer Knows” adds unexpected rhythmic energy, while the inventive “Hershey Bar/Little Did I Dream” offers perhaps the strongest example of her saxophone-like phrasing and improvisational confidence. Guest vocalist and flugelhorn artist Benny Benack III adds warmth and charm to the tender duet “Angel of Mine,” while the closing original “Someone” leaves listeners with a hopeful reminder that love often arrives when least expected.

Throughout Crazy World of Love, Louise Alexandra demonstrates an appealing balance of interpretive skill, creative imagination and heartfelt sincerity. Supported by strong musicianship and thoughtful arrangements, she delivers a heartfelt recording that celebrates not only romance, but the enduring connections that give life meaning.