Speak Low (Bonus Track Version)

iTunes Review

Boz Scaggs began his career as an R&B/ Blues singer but soon found great success with the ultra-smooth grooves of 1976’s Silk Degrees where the “Lido Shuffle” made its mark. Scaggs learned early his true value rested not with the music’s grit and angst but with the calm assurance he could bring to it. As the years have passed, Scaggs has re-found himself as a singer of Jazz standards. His 2003 release, But Beautiful, debuted at #1 on the Billboard Jazz chart. Five years later, Scaggs returns with subtle interpretations of Rodgers and Hart’s “She Was Too Good To Be True,” Johnny Mercer’s “This Time The Dream’s On Me,” and the Kurt Weill – Ogden Nash title track. With Gil Goldstein on piano and assorted keyboards, the tunes, well-chosen standards by Duke Ellington and Hoagy Carmichel among others, gently flesh out with modest accompaniment and a few notable solos while leaving Scaggs plenty of room to breathe and take his leisurely time.