Modern pop music never treated
Katharine McPhee especially well. She hit the Billboard Top 40 only once, when her 2007 post-American Idol debut, "Over It," went to 29. Given this, a move to the Great American Songbook makes sense, and 2017's
I Fall in Love Too Easily is indeed a classy affair. Produced by
Don Was and recorded at Capitol Studios, the place where
Frank Sinatra cut so many of his classic records,
I Fall in Love Too Easily is a smoky, subdued set of standards.
McPhee and
Was don't opt for the unexpected, preferring songs that are well-known and sturdy, withstanding decades of renditions: "All the Way," "I'll Be Seeing You," "Night and Day," "I've Grown Accustomed to His Face."
McPhee doesn't radically reinterpret these warhorses, preferring to follow the contours of the songs exactly, so a lot of the weight on
I Fall in Love Too Easily rests on the production. While there are strings and the occasional drum, the focus is always on
McPhee and her pianist, giving this album the cozy, intimate feel of a nightclub. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine