Somethin' like Love

Steven Pasquale has achieved success performing in Broadway shows like The Spitfire Grill and acting in television series like Rescue Me. A friend of fellow Broadway actress and singer Jessica Molaskey, she introduced him to her husband, jazz guitarist John Pizzarelli, who proceeded to collaborate with him on Pasquale's debut vocal CD. The soothing lyric baritone is quite at home with most of the selections, which are dominated by standards written long before his birth. With Marcus Pauley adding well-placed backing on muted trumpet, plus either Larry Fuller or Tony Monte on piano, bassist Martin Pizzarelli, and drummer Tony Tedesco, Pasquale savors each number, never detouring far from the melody, while showing the finesse of an actor well-versed in communicating a song's lyrics on-stage. It's nice to hear "If I Were a Bell" sung in a more relaxed ballad setting, while John Pizzarelli provides his sole accompaniment for the striking take of "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep." Molaskey and her husband penned the romantic ballad "Somethin' Like Love," which Pasquale treats like a standard in the making. This is an enjoyable session that should be a perfect soundtrack for late-night romance.