Ronald Douglas, a native of the Netherlands, puts the fun back in jazz singing with this delightful mixture of standards from several decades. This refreshing vocalist sounds like he is enjoying himself and doesn't hesitate to incorporate a little playfulness. Accompanied by an outstanding quartet, he glides through a swinging treatment of "No Moon at All." Pianist
Rob van Kreeveld's switch to an electric keyboard doesn't detract at all from the potent "You're My Everything."
Douglas is joined by Peter Nieuwerf on acoustic guitar for a sensitive rendition of
Antonio Carlos Jobim's bossa nova "Someone to Light Up My Life." "The Night We Called It a Day" is recast as a bossa nova, which lessens the impact somewhat of its bittersweet lyrics.
Douglas is a breath of fresh air; no gimmicks, just solid straight-ahead jazz gets his message across.