Austrian songstress Simone Kopmajer starts out a wee bit shaky on Romance (Zoho) with a version of “How Do You Keep the Music Playing?” that’s a tad too tremulously indistinct. Then, though, she fully captures the silken anguish of the Nat “King” Cole staple “A Blossom Fell,” and stays solidly on course for the balance of this lovely album. Her dusty, battered reading of Bob Telson’s “Calling You” easily rivals Natalie Cole’s, the supple satisfaction of her “Exactly Like You” is exactly right and the gleeful bounce of her “The Way You Look Tonight” is downright infectious. There’s no denying that the cloud-soft Kopmajer is a breath of fresh air, and it will be intriguing to hear which way her gentle breeze blows next.
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