Harry Connick Jr. - True Love: A Celebration Of Cole Porter (2019) [Hi-Res] 192/24

Following his foray into the uber-contemporary pop production of 2015's That Would Be Me, Harry Connick, Jr. returns to his swinging big-band sound with 2019's True Love: A Celebration of Cole Porter. The singer's first album since signing with the storied Verve label, True Love is also his first extended exploration of a single composer's work. A burnished set of Porter standards, the album brings to mind Connick's late-'80s and early-'90s work, especially We Are in Love, Blue Light, Red Light, and his beloved soundtrack to When Harry Met Sally. Helping to capture this energy is Connick's big band, featuring seasoned players like bassist Neal Caine, New Orleans trumpeter Mark Braud, saxophonist Bob Sheppard, and others. On some tracks, he even brings in a full orchestra, creating a sound that evokes classic albums by his heroes Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra. The best moments on the album are the punchy, midtempo swingers like "Anything Goes," "Just One of Those Things," and the buoyant "I Love Paris," all of which showcase Connick's vocal charisma and his band's dynamic instrumental skills. The latter song also includes a bluesy solo by New Orleans trombonist Lucien Barbarin, who also guests on a roiling and sultry rendition of "Why Can't You Behave." It's also nice to hear Connick take his turn at the piano, soloing several times on the album and offering an extended Cuba-meets-New Orleans bar-style intro to "Begin the Beguine." This is a lush, languorously paced album, but it never drags; even the slower songs benefit from bluesy instrumental solos and Connick's richly attenuated arrangements. True to Porter's urbane image, Connick offers an album as romantic as it is sophisticated. ~ Matt Collar