Katie Guthorn
Why Not Smile?
Katie Guthorn

Katie Guthorn has chosen an intriguing selection of songs for this jazzy offering. She sings Ben Folds' "The Luckiest" to a simple piano-based backing with a great deal of sensuality and charm. She has an astoundingly warm voice.

"Black Crow" by Joni Mitchell gets a neat reading, Guthorn and her band handling it with sass and joie de vivre. Her vocals really shine here. "Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans" gets a reading befitting the classic song. Guthorn and her band really have a feeling for this material. The closing "Why Not Smile? / Smile" weds R.E.M to Charlie Chaplin's evergreen with starling results. It's a great album all told.

Copyright © 2012 Anna Maria Stjärnell