Krazy love? More like red-hot, fantasy-fueled passion. Simmering through 10 original compositions, Broadway veteran Luba Mason has discovered her inner Julie London and turned the scorch meter up to 11. Though Mason’s sculpted-marble voice and flawless enunciation (byproducts of her classical theatrical training) suggest a glacial purity, they adapt remarkably well to rising narrative fever. And Mason never stops shoveling on the coal.
But it is unfair to categorize these songs as merely heat-seeking missiles. Mason is much too clever a wordsmith for that. Consider, for instance, “Lovely,” in which a young wife and mother escapes the humdrum of everyday life by indulging in flights of cinematic reverie. Then there’s “Gorgeous Fool” and its nerdy hero, elevated by a sage lover to chiseled-god status. The hushed calm of “A Summer Night,” ushered in on gentle waves of yearning, gradually escalates to soul-deep gratification, while “Reunion” uncorks the joy of a fervently rekindled romance and “Xmas in July” exalts the ravenous bliss of a fiery new bond.
Sex education hasn’t been this cunning or captivating since Masters met Johnson.
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