New & Now channels influences spanning from bossa nova to sunshine pop to vault
Sue Raney into the mod world. Though still rooted in jazz,
Billy Byers' arrangements owe as much to swingin' London as to swing itself, and the material draws more from the contemporary pop charts than the Great American Song Book, embracing hits from "Georgy Girl" to "Groovin'." It wouldn't work if
Raney didn't embrace the makeover in full, and her vocals reveal a maturity and strength often absent from previous sessions. Moreover, the production subjects her voice to a series of effects and treatments, and at every turn she blends seamlessly with her pop-art surroundings. ~ Jason Ankeny