Last First Kiss
It wasn't long ago that people were bemoaning a paucity of visible male jazz singers. Now, with the emergence of slick young vocalists like Michael Buble and Jamie Cullum and the continued success of more mature artists like Kurt Elling, Kevin Mahogany, and Harry Connick, Jr., the field is getting a bit crowded. But there's still a shortage of men who have the depth and individual style of female counterparts including Diana Krall, Karrin Allyson, and Dianne Reeves. With his second album, 30-year-old Tony DeSare, yet another proficient Sinatra imitator, will likely gain listeners with his easy-swinging vocals and cocktail-smooth piano playing, spiked as it is with Erroll Garner effects. But for all its surface appeal,Last First Kissfails to hold interest. A mix of standards by the likes of Cole Porter and Irving Berlin, pop tunes by Prince and Carole King and originals by DeSare, the album has a kind ofAmerican Idol-does-jazz feel. It's never lacking in energy or enthusiasm but rarely leaves you feeling any of it matters.--Lloyd Sachs