Independent (label)
20 September 2019 (released)
19 September 2019
Hailing from beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia, chanteuse Eva Schubert performs her own brand of sly, smooth jazz with the backing of a tastefully talented backing quartet. Hot Damn Romance is her third album and combines shoulder-poppin' guitars, slick-walkin' bass, cool groovin' drums, and backstreet muted horns to create a classy Saturday night date soundtrack. This score underpins Schubert's silky, low-key croon. The tone of the record is impressively pristine with gorgeous reverberance and impeccably performed live instrumentation.
'Flying High' kicks the album off nice and breezy. Drummer Mark Hundervad sets the pace with a light shuffle as trumpeter Alexander Brown lays down a warm, welcoming through-line. Schubert sees the world as her oyster, shedding the worries and insecurities and taking to the skies. A great carefree tune for a summer afternoon on the coast. The single 'Brawler' follows this up taking us into slightly darker territory. Guitarist Michael Kavalerchik accents with struttin' '70s New York jabs while Brown's gritty muted horn duets with Schubert as she details a low-down Brooklyn brawler. A dastardly smooth operator.
The title track also sizzles with a scintillating shimmying scat. Schubert poetically daydreams over this object of her affections that has every move down to a science. She unleashes her incarnation of a 'Fever' type track. The closer 'Water' showcases the band at their most textural and unique. The after-hours ballad centres on Schubert's breathy, dreamy coo and a horn that drifts off into the night air. This is the definite stand out track of the EP.
Hot Damn Romance is a solid entry in the realm of jazzy lounge. Schubert's voice is firm yet understated giving the record an unforced chic. Although the other four tracks are more of her bread and butter, 'Water' is a track that finds her in more rarified air.
