Tia Brazda - Daydream (2018)

Tia Brazda’s retro style and utterly distinctive voice have established her as a strong, unique presence on the jazz scene, both at home in Canada and abroad. Garnering comparisons to Billie Holiday and Amy Winehouse in the past, she stands distinguished as a powerful artist in her own right. Having honed her cutting-edge sound in the clubs of Toronto, Brazda’s vintage-inspired look made a startling impression. Her first EP Cabin Fever burst onto the scene in 2012, hitting #1 on the iTunes Canada Jazz Chart, as well as receiving airplay on BBC and CBC Radio, Jazz FM 91.1, and national campus radio. The follow-up, full-length album Bandshell also debuted at #1 on iTunes, and received significant acclaim, catapulting Brazda into her current high-profile status as a serious Canadian powerhouse.

Her new all-original album, Daydream, finds Brazda’s irresistible voice cradled in a rich and varied atmosphere of strings, horns, and backing vocals, all in service of her positive outlook on various states of romance. She moves effortlessly from the bossa nova of the title track to the pure jazz balladry of “Irreplaceable,” to the tango-infused French chanson of “Un amour bohème” – with the songs sounding as strong as if they’ve been around forever. Brazda strides confidently on a brave new musical path as well, with her most pop-oriented recordings to date: among them, the soulful “Right On Time,” the big, brassy chorus (and synthesizer solo!) of “Moondust Baby,” and the optimistic, can’t-miss, enthusiasm of the pure-pop “Brand New Day” – a song that would sound entirely at home as Michael Bublé’s next single. The album also features a “who’s-who” of JUNO-nominated players, including Larnell Lewis of Snarky Puppy on drums, Shirantha Beddage on saxophone, William Sperandei on trumpet, Adrean Farrugia on piano, William Carn on trombone, and Marc Rogers on bass. The funky track “Livin’ Easy” also features a songwriting collaboration and genre-bending piano solo by Marc Pelli of Billboard #1 group, MAGIC!, whose song “Rude” continues to be a global phenomenon.