When the insightful and delightfully swinging daughter and father duo Rebecca Dumaine (vocals) and Dave Miller (piano) released their dynamic 2019 album Chez Nous, they could scarcely have imagined just how the world would soon change – and how sorely we would need their blend of heartfelt tenderness and whimsical, sparkling energy to help us through.
Not surprisingly, Dumaine and The Dave Miller Trio (featuring bassist Chuck Bennett and drummer Bill Belasco) meet our collective anxious moment perfectly on their hopeful and forward thinking collection Someday, Someday, a collection of spirited, crisply and imaginatively arranged Songbook standards and pop classics (from Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “The Gentleman is a Dope” and “Cry Me a River” to “Alone Again (Naturally),” “Both Sides Now” and “Sunny”) that together paint an overall narrative of dealing with sorrow and confusion, then breaking through to a brighter, more optimistic mindset moving ahead.
As skilled and emotionally compelling a vocalist and scat master as Rebecca is – and as beautifully as she sings in French – perhaps the most inspiring gift she graces us with is her skill as a songwriter. It’s testament to her strength as a melodicist and storyteller that her two joyful originals, the Latin-tinged title track romp and lightly funky “Time To Get Unstuck (Happy Little New Song),” stack up perfectly alongside her re-imaginings of tunes by the legends.
As Rebecca and Dave’s trio pull us along the pathway to pure sunlight, they also remind us that we have plenty to be grateful for right now.