Already an established hit in her native Canada, the eponymous debut from Russian-born 22-year-old Sophie Milman has earned solid reviews that suggest she could follow Diana Krall as the next great jazz vocal gust to cross the 49th parallel. Indeed, the Toronto-based Milman’s evocative warm-cool sound does hint at the slow-melting ice of her British Columbia swing sister.
What Milman lacks in Krall polish she gallantly attempts to make up for with throaty, Marilyn Monroe-esque sauciness. Such smoked sexiness is well suited to the likes of “My Baby Just Cares for Me,” “My Heart Belongs to Daddy” and “I Feel Pretty.” Milman’s future strength will, however, result from less self-consciously mannered readings, as here demonstrated by a bracing “Agua de Beber” and an easily joyous “La Vie en Rose.”
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