Spotlight CD Review
Justin Hayford - A Rare Find
Part of the reputation Hayford has acquired is for having charm that makes amends for a supposedly limited vocal and piano playing prowess, yet this is surely undeserved, for whilst there may indeed be technically more sophisticated performers, on the scale of singers from Robert Goulet to Fred Astaire, Hayford sits comfortably close to the old hoofer himself, bringing wit and urbanity to material that needs exactly the unvarnished , unpretentious approach delivered here in order to unearth the qualities that bring these gems sparkling once more into the sunlight.
Hayford brings a very urban sound to these twelve songs from composers as illustrious as Frank Loesser, Comden and Green and Joe Raposo. Some are slow ballads, eminently suiting the insouciance of the performer, whilst others swing along cheerily. The contrast between such songs as Burke and van Heusen’s ‘Humpty Dumpty Heart’ and George Meyer’s ‘According the Moonlight’ bring a pleasing variety whilst keeping the mood relaxed and very late night.
This is a consistently enjoyable album, making the selection of highlights a difficult task, but ‘Compared to You’ is a beautiful little love song that surely deserves far greater prominence, whilst ‘The House is Haunted’, a Billy Rose ‘flop’, serves as a fine example of the many qualities Hayford brings to all his work. Not only do the songs themselves constitute a rare find, but so too does this entrancing little album.