I was listening to ‘Under The Influence’ by Vickie Van Dyke, and there was a certain something I noticed in her singing – there seemed to be a lot of passion here, and I could feel instantly her love of the material.

Then I read the ‘back story’ of the album. Apparently, she recorded this as a tribute to her mother. who had recently gone to hospice. She was struck by the kindness of the people she encountered there and pledged all the sales of the album to go to the facility, Hospice Wellington, in Ontario Canada. She also recorded this a tribute to her mother, who introduced her to the Great American Songbook. After learning this, I loved the album even more. Her love for the music fills every second of the album. While she doesn’t posses the most technically proficient, but I like it’s smoky and husky quality. And there is certainly care in her lyric interpretation. My favorite track is ‘Let’s Make The Most Of A Beautiful Thing,’ which I know from Nancy Wilson. her slightly quivering interpretation gives it a lot of gravitas. I don’t know why I have been so enamoured by that song of late, perhaps from where my life is right now? But truly, the rest of the album is a good listen.