Crooners are completely hip again. Singers like Michael Bublé and Matt Dusk, who follow in the footsteps of Frank Sinatra, Mel Tormé and Dean Martin, enjoy unprecedented popularity. The Netherlands' newest crooner is called Wouter Hamel, nominated for the prestigious Deloitte Jazz Award 2006. Unlike his foreign colleagues, Hamel had no budget to be accompanied by a big band, he had to do it with
… a smaller line-up. Together with the idiosyncratic production of Benny Sings, this ensures that the music comes across a lot less traditional than with his colleagues, who put on complete Las Vegas shows according to model. Since Hamel also wanted to profile himself as a songwriter, there are no standards to be found on this CD. This makes Hamel a very light jazz CD with some pop influences here and there. However, to function as a full-time crooner, Hamel must first gain some life experience. (AD)more