Title - The Devil I Knew
Artist - Nicole Zuraitis
For those not in the know, Nicole Zuraitis is a 2X GRAMMY® winning and 6X GRAMMY-nominated jazz singer-songwriter, pianist, producer, arranger and winner of the prestigious 2021 American Traditions Vocal Competition Gold Medal.
With a “heart as big as her remarkable voice,” (Jazz Police), Nicole is a trailblazing artist who is redefining vocal jazz and jazz songwriting, earning her a place as one of the top artists and prolific songwriters (Broadway World) to watch in jazz and beyond, or as she likes to call it “The Modern Songbook”.
As a recording artist, Nicole has released seven albums as leader, and her sixth album, How Love Begins, co-produced with eight-time GRAMMY-winner Christian McBride, won BEST JAZZ VOCAL ALBUM at the 2024 GRAMMY® awards and features all original music. She is the only person ever to have earned this award who wrote and arranged the entire album herself.
Her brand new album is entitled The Devil I Knew and is a veritable opus of a musical recording and one that is sure to draw more GRAMMY attention to it.
1. Part I - The Mirror
2. Won’t Make It Out Alive
3. Call My Name (I Dare You)
4. He’s a demon, He’s a Devil, He’s a Doll
5. Part II - The Martyr
6. Two Steps Back (The Overlap)
7. Wish I Could Love You
8. Never a Mistake
9. Part III - The Malediction
10. The Devil I Knew
11. All That’s Left
12. Vice, Versus
13. Part IV - The Reckoning
14. The Hardest Part
15. It Never Goes Away
16. Let Us Hang
17. Part V - The Requiem
18. Back to You
19. I Get Along Without You Very Well (Except Sometimes)
20. The Epilogue
With her styles ranging from Nashville harmonies on through to late night smokey jazz rhythms, she opens on the smoothly sultry Part One - The Mirror, the rhythmically grooved Won’t Make It Out Alive and the bluesy Call My Name (I Dare You) and then the blues are deepened on the He’s a demon, He’s a Devil, He’s a Doll.
Next we get the spoken word Part Two - The Martyr which is backed with the ornately sculpted Two Steps Back (The Overlap), the shimmering Wish I Could Love You and then comes the beautiful guitar work within the balladry of Never a Mistake.
Then comes the spoken word Part Three - The Malediction which is followed by the affecting title cut The Devil I Knew, the absorbingly ambient All That’s Left and then we are brought forth the intricate, Julia Fordham-esque gossamer of Vice, Versus.
The next chapter is the spoken word Part Four - The Reckoning which is backed by the fluctuating The Hardest Part, a hushed resonance of It Never Goes Away and then the soulfully funky Let Us Hang.
The final round is the spoken word Part V - The Requiem which is followed by the softly tantalizing Back to You, then we get the almost cinematic in musical scope I Get Along Without You Very Well (Except Sometimes), the set coming to a close on the spoken word of The Epilogue.
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