Caro Emerald
Deleted Scenes From The Cutting Room Floor

THE REVIEW

Amidst various demanding listens ("Undertow," "Aenima," "In Rock," "Made In Japan," "Reign In Blood," "Seasons In The Abyss") that have occupied me in the last two months, it is only right in these summer afternoons, on those occasions when I don't go to the beach, to indulge in something frivolous and pleasant.

Since the artist has never been reviewed before, I need to give you some information about her: Caroline Esmeralda van der Leeuw (Amsterdam, born 1981), known as Caro Emerald, is a Dutch singer who broke through last year with her decent LP "Deleted Scenes From The Cutting Room Floor", which was a real hit in her home country, driven by successful singles such as "Back It Up" and "Stuck" (songs also featured in commercials with Aldo, Giovanni, and Giacomo, you know).

Honestly, I couldn't tell you why I chose this good singer; perhaps I was attracted to her genre, pop contaminated with 1930s jazz, a genre that is currently experiencing a revival (let's think about the recent resurgence of burlesque), and then searching on DeBaser, I noticed she had never been acknowledged by anyone else here, and it seemed right to spend a few words on her.

But enough of the verbosity, let's talk about the album: 12 enjoyable tracks lasting about 47 minutes, with rather lighthearted lyrics about love, the beauty of life on the Riviera, and other such frivolities. Her voice evidently draws inspiration from the way of singing of bygone years: she seems to have stepped out of a cabaret show. Supporting this idea are the best tracks of the lot: the two I mentioned above, "That Man", "Riviera Life", "The Other Woman". Perhaps a slight flaw might be that when listened to in its entirety, the tracks end up sounding similar, but if you're not paying particular attention to that, you can fully enjoy three-quarters of an hour of genuine pop far from other more famous but less inspired manifestations (any reference to "Born This Way" by Lady Gaga is purely intentional).

In conclusion, I recommend this album to those who want to relax or who want a lively background music, or those who love 1930s music and minimally electronic pop. I don't hide my confidence in this talented singer, and I hope that with her future works, she will continue this good debut worthily.