Though she sounds as if she just arrived from Ipanema Beach, Heidi Vogel actually hails from London and boasts a fascinating history that began with Cirque du Soleil and progressed to lead vocalist for the British jazz-electronica ensemble Cinematic Orchestra. North American audiences got their first real taste of Vogel’s prowess in 2009, when she and her Cinematic mates delivered a killer “Breathe” on Jimmy Kimmel Live! For her first full-length solo album, she dials the power down, opting for a meditative softness across an 11-track playlist that primarily pays tribute to the great Brazilian songwriters of the 1960s and ’70s.
Pure and fresh yet enticingly earthy, Vogel captures an intimacy that is less romantic than conspiratorial-whispered secrets and shared confidences rather than pillow talk. Propelled by guitar virtuoso Josue Ferreira, it is an approach that intensifies the beauty of masterworks by Jobim, Vinicius de Moraes, Gilberto Gil and Ivan Lins better than any interpreter since Elis Regina. Jobim’s tender “Dindi” and Lins’ captivating “Love Dance” (from which the album’s title is plucked) are particular standouts. Additionally, she ambles through stunning wordless treatments of Joe Henderson’s “Black Narcissus” and Billy Strayhorn’s “Chelsea Bridge.”
Vogel hasn’t entirely broken with her past: A trio of bonus tracks include an explosive reworking of “Black Narcissus” with the Cinematic Orchestra and a second remix with jazz/funk maestro Emanative, plus a dance track called “Turn Up the Quiet,” constructed by broken-beat master IG Culture.
Heidi Vogel: Turn Up the Quiet
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