Beverley Church Hogan: Sweet Invitation

The entertainment business only rarely offers second chances. However, that does seem to be the case for singer Beverley Church Hogan. Born and raised in Montreal, Canada, she began singing as a pre-teen, managed to have a regular gig on the radio and then, by her late teens, was singing in clubs and U.S.O. styled military shows. At 21, she relocated to Los Angeles, was offered a recording contract by Capitol Records but, for a variety of familial reasons, turned it down and subsequently went into musical obscurity.

Now many years later, when most entertainers have passed the "best by sell date," Church Hogan has climbed back on the carousel for a shot at the brass ring, and released two albums. In 2017, the first, entitled Can't Get Out Of This Mood, received well-deserved praise, and now she has returned to the studio for a program of romantic songs from the Great American Songbook called Sweet Invitation.

Backed by a tight little band, guided by pianist and arranger John Proulx, which also features a couple of instrumental stalwarts, Bob Sheppard and Grant Geissman, Church Hogan breezes through the nine tracks with charm and poise. The opener is an Illinois Jacquet & Jimmy Mundy number "Don'cha Go 'Way Mad" and it swings along in a winsome fashion in keeping with the lyrics. There are a couple of nice solos from bassist Lyman Medeiros and guitarist Geissman.

There is no doubt about Church Hogan's ability to throw light on the lyrics and music of those well-known standards which she has chosen for this session. Of more interest from an interpretation viewpoint are those lesser known tunes such as "I'm Just Foolin' Myself," "What A Way To Go" and " When October Goes" which test Church Hogan's storytelling ability as well as the understanding to bring to life the lyrics with the nuance and emotion they deserve.

The final cut is a Cy Coleman & Alan McCarthy tune "Why Try To Change Me Now." In addition to Church Hogan's stellar reading of the number, saxophonist Sheppard, pianist Proulx, and Medeiros are given space to offer their instrumental voices to the composition, and they make every note count in doing so.

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