Chiara Civello
Last Quarter Moon

Chiara Civello will become the jazz star of the future. This prophecy is not reckless but, in fact, has solid foundations. And now I'll explain why! Chiara Civello, at her debut, recorded "Last Quarter Moon" produced by Verve which, as many of you know, is one of the most prestigious jazz labels for which Ella Fitzgerald also recorded. Additionally, this singer-songwriter, not even 30 years old, convinced Burt Bacharach to write "Trouble," included in this debut work. Furthermore, James Taylor chose her as a backing vocalist, and Tony Bennett invited her to record the beautiful and "widely covered" "Estate" by Bruno Martino. And that's not a small feat! It should also be noted that Chiara Civello sings in Italian, to remain true to her homeland, and especially in English, to conquer the global audience.

But the real shrewd operator behind this yet another commercial operation, attempting to exploit a talent with a refined and velvety voice, is Russ Titelman who seeks to guide this young Italian artist in her musical journey by acting as a mentor and directing her as he sees fit. Certainly, creating yet another Norah Jones or Diana Krall is convenient since jazz is becoming a phenomenon accessible to everyone. With this, I don't want to risk appearing snobbish, quite the contrary. I appreciated Michael Bublé until he became a circus act; I listened to Norah Jones and many other artists who rode the pop jazz revival wave, but now I think it's too much. I agree that producers need to do everything to earn money, but I believe that jazz is losing its essence. Because I believe you cannot pass off, under the prestigious label "Verve" for which the legendary Louis Armstrong recorded, a product like "Last Quarter Moon" that resembles much more the pop of Whitney Houston in certain pieces (see "Nature Song") than the poignant beauty of the songs interpreted by Fitzgerald.

In short, the product itself is not bad; it recalls the Brazilian tradition in some pieces (like "Sambaroma"), the jazzy atmospheres (as in the title track "Last Quarter Moon"), and the singer-songwriter pop in the sign of Bacharach ("Trouble," "The Wrong Goodbye"). Chiara Civello is talented, but this album does not excel musically or textually. Enjoyable but does not surpass a passing grade.