Naama Gheber: The Very Thought of You

Naama Gheber closes her 2022 summer season of singles releases with Ray Noble's 1934 composition, "The Very Thought Of You." The song was first recorded by Ray Noble and His Orchestra with Al Bowlly on vocals for HMV in England in April, closely followed by Bing Crosby's performance that same year and enjoying many revivals since then. The spring and summer of 2022 saw Gheber releasing, "Old Mother Hubbard," "I'm A Fool To Want You," "You're Driving Me Crazy," and "Dream Dancing." With "The Very Thought Of You," the sum of these parts equals the 2022 November release of Gheber's second collection, If I Knew Then (Sassy's In Town).

On "The Very Thought Of You" the focus is all Gheber. Her trio of pianist Ben Paterson, bassist Neal Miner, and drummer Evan Sherman provide a spacious, plush and very understated environment for the singer to demonstrate her command of historic style and phrasing. Gheber summons no less than Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and Carmen McRae in the elastic space contained in the 3 minutes and 27 seconds of the song. Her singing is sophisticated and organic in the same breath, creating a heady mix in delivery. This could be heard as the closing song to the last set of the night at a popular nightclub in the wee small hours of the morning. Gheber stakes out the middle of things, to the right of Veronica Swift and the left of Vickie Burns. She represents the new wave of Great American Songbook interpreters.