Ann Savoy has long been a Francophile. A French major in college, she later became a major player in the Cajun music scene through her work in the
Savoy-Doucet Cajun Band and the
Magnolia Sisters. More recently, she has become more widely known as the organizer of two well-received Cajun-based compilations, Evangeline Made and
Creole Bred, as well as Adieu False Heart, her 2006 collaboration with
Linda Ronstadt. But with this disc she travels to the motherland, so to speak. Bidding adieu to Louisiana and Cajun music, she sets sail for France to explore Parisian hot jazz stylings. She puts her French fluency to good use in her sultry readings of "Si Tu Savais" and
Django Reinhardt's "Melodie au Crepuscule." On the other hand, her English singing on "If You Don't I Know Who Will" falls short of being truly incandescent. She acquits herself far better on her handling of standards "The Way You Look Tonight" and "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered." On these tunes, her voice glides effortlessly over the melodies.
Savoy, however, probably achieves her strongest vocal on the old
Billie Holiday classic "Getting Some Fun out of Life," where she fully projects the sense of joie de vivre that the song talks about.
Savoy is ably supported on If Dreams Come True by her backing band, whom she calls
Her Sleepless Knights. Her key accompanists are fiddler Kevin Wimmer and guitarist Tom Mitchell, Jr.. Both men are given ample opportunities to solo throughout the disc. "The Very Thought of You," for instance, affords each man a chance to shine; it also features some fine piano playing by
Savoy's son Wilson Savoy. Sometimes the performances do suggest an excellent lounge band to the extent that you can almost hear the audience applause after a solo. Still, If Dreams Come True offers a delightful, charming musical excursion of Paris' romantic Left Bank. ~ Michael Berick