While the pandemic era presented difficult challenges to established artists who weren’t able to perform live gigs and tours, it also gave rise to many talented artists in waiting who took stock of their lives during the downtime and decided to pursue those long set aside dreams. A great example of this is Veronica Thomas, whose sweet, soulful voice, effortless phrasing and full on embrace of balladry and swing make us wonder why she waited so long before hitting the studio.
Though Thomas was willing to take a break from her corporate career to launch her career as an artist, she took a unique route after connecting with pianist and producer John Proulx. As if testing the waters, Thomas recorded her 2022 album Times Like These under the pseudonym Nica Carrington. A sea of glowing reviews boosted her confidence, and she cheerfully sheds the AKA for her even more engaging, aptly titled follow-up They Say It’s Wonderful, also produced by and featuring Proulx on piano.
Rather than simply coolly saunter and swing her way through familiar and obscure Songbook standards, Thomas engages in a fresh concept for most of her excellent selections. Fans of Turner Classic Movies may be most inclined to know the history of many of her lesser known choices, but all are stellar – from the spritely “Almost In Your Arms” (origi nally sung by Sophia Loren in Houseboat) and a whimsical spin on the title track to Invitation (originally written for A Life Of Her Own) to “If I Were a Bell” (from Guys and Dolls), “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered” (from Pal Joey) and a tender, flute spiced closing meditation on Henry Mancini’s “Two for the Road.”
The non-TCM tunes include other songs Thomas is fond of, including Cole Porter’s cautionary ballad “Get Out of Town,” a sensitive take on the Jobim classic “Dindi” and Proulx’s gorgeous original ballad “Stuck in a Dream,” which the singer first heard him sing in a master class. Suffice to say, Veronica Thomas’ bona fide debut jazz album is wonderful enough to ensure we’ll never hear from “Nica Carrington” again!
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