What the Caked Crusader chose to bake to this week (19 July 2008)

I know it’s only July but I think I’ve found my album of the year; the fact that it was originally released in 1952 probably says as much about the current music scene as it does me.

Romance: The Vocal Stylings of Oscar Peterson is a joy from start to finish and my only complaint is that the album doesn’t have more tracks. I have to confess that I didn’t know Oscar Peterson sang but his vocals are smooth and heartfelt – imagine a slightly less polished but cooler Nat King Cole.

The album is tricky to get hold of and certainly not cheap but, boy is it worth it! When my copy arrived in the post I had 5 minutes until the start of a TV show I wanted to see. I thought “I’ll just listen to one track and see what it’s like”; TV show forgotten, I ended up listening to the whole album and then went back and re-played my favourite tracks!

I have a weakness for jazz musicians who do a bit of singing on the side; they seem to understand song construction and whilst not necessarily having the most polished voices get the best out of the song: Chet Baker and Jack Teagarden are two names that spring to mind although there are probably more. Now Oscar Peterson can join the list!