While singer
Susie Arioli
and guitarist
Jordan Officer
usually team up for renditions of
Django Reinhardt
-flavored
swing
classics,
Learn to Smile Again
is a change of pace. Most of the repertoire is taken from the book of
Roger Miller
(although
"King of the Road"
is bypassed), and this is a surprisingly natural fit since both
Arioli
(who has a quietly beautiful voice) and
Officer
have a real feel for vintage
country
/
pop
folk
music. Assisted by rhythm guitar, bass, quiet percussion, and the background vocals of
Jason
and
Sheldon Valleau
, this lyrical and heartfelt effort (which also includes two originals and the vintage
"By Myself"
) is an offbeat success, logical in hindsight if not inevitable. ~ Scott Yanow