In the world of predictable music, Denielle Bassels refreshes us with her take on pop music. This record is filled with French cabaret music that has such an invigorating vibe. If Beyonce can do a country album, why not fill the gap with Pop Jazz with a baguette and cream cheese? The flavour of this album is so tasty, I gave a copy of it to my cousin Lucille, a French hen.

Denielle grabs my attention very quickly with the opening track, “Lighthouse”. It is a track of utter madness and high energy craziness. It like when you hold onto your friends’ hands and spin as fast as possible knowing this is not going to end well, but you don’t care in that moment.

The second song, “Woman Like Me” is loud and brash. It is completely unapologetic. It is swanky and full of estrogen. This is truly an inspiring song for a little chick like me.

“Strange Love” is smooth and seductive, and a little off-balance. You can feel the emotions of this song teetering on a balance beam. In fact, that is what is good about this record.  The real beauty of the songs comes from the tiny details worked out meticulously that hint at the emotions buried just beneath the obvious emotions.

When I hear “Songbird”, I can feel Denielle’s openness come through in a very personal way. It is the prettiest song on the album. I just wish I could sing as sweetly as this songbird.

With “Emmelee” we return to the theatre of cabaret.  It is a very colourful tune that contains a dark message. It is highly playful and keeps you highly entertained.

Every song on this record is very relatable and brings a stimulating component that adds a new palette of colour that you don’t hear on the radio these days. I find the overall tone very vibrant and lets your ears enjoy a new way of hearing today’s music. The diversity in the songs is unique and each one stands out by itself.

Speaking of standing out, I love her take on a relationship gone wrong. The thoughts of a woman with her partner for life takes on a fun twist as she ponders her future with her song called, “Gunna be Hell”.

Well, this little chick could go on, but I think you should discover this album for yourself and give it a good listen. The tiny details are the magic in this album. Her vocals are sometimes funny and always warm. If I had to rate this album using my egg scale, this would truly be a sunny side up!

If you would like to see Denielle live, she will be performing at Caravan along with a cornucopia of other Jazz greats in our city. Caravan is taking place on Wed April 9^th starting at 8pm. This is going to be the jazz event of the year! You can still purchase your tickets at Jaymz Bee’s Caravan of Music – Universe

If you would like to learn more about Denielle, here is a link to her website. Denielle Bassels | Musician | Toronto