Duper Sessions
An extremely young Norwegian-born singer-songwriter-guitarist-bandleader, Lerche has already exhibited a remarkably strong flair for sophisticated pop composition and a talent for witty lyrics. But by moving his previous preference for judiciously applied jazz inflections into the forefront, making the condiment into the main course, so to speak, he risks stepping into some awfully big shoes. His pleasantly reedy tenor voice sometimes surprises with distant, disembodied echoes of Mel Tormé or even a Chet Baker-esque croon around the edges and his aplomb as an instrumentalist remains notable. However, even though jazz is no longer strictly about geography, like many artists who did not grow up within the roots system, Lerche seems to approaching it from the outside in. Even so, the band is tight and despite a prevailing rhythmic stiffness, there is clearly a wryly playful musical intellect at work here. Maybe all Lerche really needs is time. Seasoning comes when it will and despite his many gifts, he simply hasn't yet lived nearly long or hard enough to adequately interpret a Cole Porter tune like "Night And Day." --Christina Roden