Anika Larsen: Sing You to Sleep

John Hoglund | February 6, 2015

Anika Larsen

Sing You to Sleep

(Yellow Sound)

February 2, 2015

Reviewed by John Hoglund for Cabaret Scenes

Tony nominee (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical) Anika Larsen debut recording, Sing You to Sleep, is a soft collection of sweet, eclectic songs which are based on her lifelong relationships with adults and children. In lesser hands, this might prove risky, but the multi-talented Larsen pulls it off with imaginative flair and some classy turns.

Singing in a laid back, expressive mezzo, she liltingly performs story songs that appeal to those grownups and kids. While some are very simple and compelling, others are cozy homilies to life. For instance, a childlike gentleness permeates “Baby Mine” and “Sleepy Man” in the way a lullaby whispers gently, while Sting’s yearning “Fields of Gold” and “Somewhere Out There” (from the animated movie An American Tale) balance the album well with a classic understanding of traditional pop musical values and a forlorn heart that is reflective. “You Can Close Your Eyes,” a duet with Tony winner (and Beautiful co-star) Jessie Mueller is just perfect.

Collectively, the results are riveting from this Broadway baby who has stitched pieces of time together in a personalized album drawn from her life. Other highlights include a heartfelt delivery on “Annie’s Song” and a magnificent “To Make You Feel My Love” that is the album’s finest cut. She cleverly uses vocal restraint, allowing her voice to flow and breathe with the instruments and have the song speak for itself. Consequently, this album presents a singer of deep contemplation with her selections seemingly autobiographical or, moreover, dreams where Larsen muses out loud in a captivating, pretty voice that lingers.

It’s all offered with intelligent phrasing complementing her dreamy vocals that are repeatedly punctuated by Jared Schonig’s pulsating underpinning drums and a percussion beat that only adds to David Cook’s exceptional arrangements throughout. Other great musicians include Peter McCann (guitar), Alan Hampton (bass), Freddie Maxwell (trumpet/flugelhorn), Sara Caswell (fiddle) and Kenita Miller (backup vocals).

Tags: Alan Hampton, American Songbook, An American Tale, Anika Larsen, animated movie, Annie’s Song, Baby Mine, Beautiful, Broadway Baby, Carole King, David Cook, Female Vocalist, Fields of Gold, Freddie Maxwell, Great American Songbook, Jared Schonig, Jessie Mueller, John Hoglund, Kenita Miller, Peter McCann, Popular Song, Sara Caswell, Sing You to Sleep, Singer, Sleepy Man, Somewhere Out There, Songbook, Sting, To Make You Feel My Love, Tony Awards, Tony Nominee, Vocalist, Yellow Sound, You Can Close Your Eyes