Vocalist Nicole Henry is getting rave reviews for her new album of jazz standards, The Very Thought Of You, earning praise for her commanding interpretation of the Great American Songbook. As VOA's Doug Levine tells us, singing the classics was just something she was born to do.
Forget labels. Nicole Henry is a naturally gifted entertainer, period. Sure, she can sing jazz with the best of them, but it's her near flawless connection with each song that gives her the edge over many of today's up-and-coming performers.
As easily as she taps into her blues repertoire for a soulful rendition of Harry Warren's "At Last," Nicole is off and swinging with the Sarah Vaughan favorite, "That's All."
Nicole was destined for a career in show business. Her upbringing in suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, included ballet and cello lessons, as well as an occasional stint singing in her school choir. She studied theatre in college, which later came in handy for acting roles in national television commercials and feature films.
In the meantime, Nicole made a name for herself as a singer-songwriter. But, her commercial success with a self-penned pop tune titled "Because You Are You" was fleeting and she turned to jazz full-time.
Nicole's lone original is in fine company alongside works by Irving Berlin, George and Ira Gershwin, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Sammy Cahn, Ray Noble, and Lerner and Loewe whose Broadway musical "Brigadoon" produced the pop standard, "Almost Like Being In Love."
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