Freezing

In its journeys from 17th-century England to modern-day America, from folk-rock to classical art song, Freezing might be this year’s most stylistically wide-ranging song recital. That it works as a cohesive whole is down both to the eloquence and natural versatility of Emily D’Angelo’s rich mezzo voice, and to the imaginative combination of accompanying instruments that blur and fuse the myriad musical and chronological boundaries. The crackle of Bruno Helstroffer’s electric guitar, for instance, kindles a warmth in John Dowland’s “In Darkness Let Me Dwell”, yet brings a folk-rock aesthetic, reminiscent of Jeff Buckley, to Jean Richie’s romantic folksong “O Love Is Teasing” and to Arthur Russell’s song of wide-eyed innocence, “Wonder Boy”. There’s a Radiohead-like bloom to the stripped-back textures that underpin Jeanine Tesori’s “Grounded – Night Drive”, from which we move seamlessly to Kodály’s “Evening Song” and W.C. Handy’s “Morning Star”, both sung with a firm nod to Doris Day (and both beautifully accompanied by pianist Sophia Muñoz). Indeed, as D’Angelo vaults from one era and style to another, so her voice leaps with her, its timbre undergoing subtle changes. One moment she seals her reputation as one of classical music’s most luxurious voices (Purcell), the next she inhabits the directness of a 1960s folk singer: a modern-day Joan Baez, perhaps (“Quietly Waiting”). Two songs by Rebecca Clarke are genuine discoveries and deserve to hold places among the best of early 20th-century English repertoire; they add yet another rich ingredient to an album that rewards repeated listening.