I became a fan of Kathy Troccoli’s pop albums (Pure Attraction and self-titled) in the 90’s, but she mostly does Christian music now. It’s not my jam but I followed her career over the years, picking up her Christmas (A Sentimental Christmas) and covers (Heartsongs) albums along the way. In 2016, I saw her jazz standards show in New York City, and although jazz wasn’t my thing, Kathy converted me. A few months ago she delivered a surprising announcement, a jazz album of yacht rock favorites, which I anxiously awaited. My expectations were high but her talents exceeded them.
Yacht Rock Jazz is a rare covers album because I actually know all the tracks, however, Kathy reworked some in ways that I didn’t recognize them on the first listen. All originally done by men (why weren’t there yacht rock divas?), Kathy made these songs her own, giving them a welcomed feminine twist. In my gay opinion, Kathy’s voice still blows me away and is as full and cozy as ever, perfectly suited for this style of music. If you give the album a listen, get ready to fall in love with these claasics all over again.
Side note: I first gave the album a listen on a road trip home from The Berkshires with my husband. I know it killed him to say so (since my taste is questionable to his ears) but his direct quote was “Wow, I really like this. If she tours, we should go!” After the medics revived me (some people will do anything to get mouth-to-mouth), I totally agreed. Fingers crossed she’ll set sail this way soon.
