Matt Belsante is in town! So step aside Harry Connick, Jr. Make room Michael Bublé. This boys got the chops! And he's not afraid to use them. The 12 tracks on this CD titled "Blame It On My Youth" are all over the board of jazz, swing, ballad, samba and even the long forgotten British band Procol Harum's iconic "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" and the Beatles "I Saw Her Standing There" which he turns into a rollicking awesome swing number. And here I give a nod to Chris McDonald, the arranger. He knows pretty well when to stick to the script and when to innovate. A gift the brings forth both the comfort of the standard, and a surprise blast of freshness and innovation from time to time. For example, he knows to play "Witchcraft" right out of Nelson Riddle's playbook, and turn's Cole Porter's "I Get A Kick Out You" into an uber hipster lounge lizard moment with a swinging piano trio.
The first cut on the CD, "Beyond The Sea" will capture your heart and your sense of adventure. Yet, it's the cool direct rendering of The Associations "Never My Love" that will take you back to the weddings of your youth. And if he can almost redeem a cheesy song like that....Well, I'm hooked.
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