Veronica Thomas Releases New Album “They Say It’s Wonderful”

SOULFUL STORYTELLER VERONICA THOMAS
(AKA NICA CARRINGTON) RELEASES SOPHOMORE ALBUM
THEY SAY IT’S WONDERFUL

Released July 12, 2024 on Nica Carrington Productions

THEY SAY IT’S WONDERFUL, the newest album by vocalist VERONICA THOMAS, is a soulful collection of a dozen jazz standards sung with a contemporary edge. Although Thomas lives in New York City, she came to Los Angeles to team up with top West Coast jazz players, including pianist JOHN PROULX, who also produced and arranged the album, reeds player BOB SHEPPARD, bass player MIKE GURROLA, and drummer KEVIN VAN DEN ELZEN.

Thomas sang throughout her life, but with a career in the corporate world and her free time limited, she found it difficult to devote herself to the craft. When the pandemic hit, she finally had the time to evaluate and reconsider her life’s goals.

She wanted to take her singing to a professional level and began searching for a teacher at JazzVoice.com (curated by vocalist/pianist Alexis Cole), where she found John Proulx, a popular Los Angeles-based singer, pianist, composer, and recording artist. He is also an in-demand jazz voice, piano, and arranging instructor. Although New York City is rife with vocal teachers and coaches, she and Proulx clicked, and Thomas began taking private lessons with him online. Proulx was impressed with Thomas’s sultry, heartfelt sound and innate musicality, and volunteered to produce her debut album, Times Like These.

She was still diffident about a future as a jazz singer and decided to record Times Like These under an AKA as Nica Carrington. The album was also recorded in California and released in 2022 to glowing reviews.

With many positive reviews, and especially with the encouragement of a good friend, she decided to fully own her art and use her real name. Thomas says, “Covid first made me reevaluate what I was doing with my life. I didn’t want to spend any more years running from instead of running after my dreams, which were both artistic and entrepreneurial. While still working at my day job, I formed my first business, a consulting company which helps businesses and schools design online training programs. During the Covid shutdown, I decided to leave my 9 to 5 to work at my consulting business full time, and it was this business that funded Nica Carrington Productions.” Thomas plans to continue producing her own albums as well as musical productions and albums for other singers with her production company.

On her debut album, Thomas sang mostly ballads, but for THEY SAY IT’S WONDERFUL, Proulx encouraged her to include some swingers. Thomas loves classic films, and the album mostly comprises a mix of standards from movies.

Thomas is attracted to love songs and opens the album with a medium swinger, “Almost in Your Arms,” from the 1958 movie Houseboat. Originally sung by Sophia Loren, Thomas was especially drawn to the romantic dance scene with Loren and Cary Grant. Thomas decided to include Cole Porter’s “Get Out of Town” after hearing Ella Fitzgerald’s version on Sirius XM. Thomas and Proulx take the tune in a different direction with a slower, darker version that captures the emotional dilemma of the lyrics.

“Invitation” by Bronislau Kaper was first heard in the opening titles of the film A Life of Her Own. However, it became a jazz standard two years later when it was used as the theme song for the film, Invitation. “They Say It’s Wonderful” is Thomas’ homage to Johnny Hartman, who sang the tune on his album with Coltrane. The song features Sheppard’s warm tenor sax. “If I Were a Bell” was written for the 1950 Broadway musical Guys and Dolls, and Thomas first heard it sung by Jean Simmons in the film version. Thomas is particularly fond of John Lucien’s version of “Dindi,” a bossa nova by Jobim, and beautifully captures the song’s yearning with her slow and sensual reading of the lyrics.

The rueful “Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered” is from the movie Pal Joey. The song attracted Thomas because it paints a portrait of a woman experienced in dealing with love and men, but who is now confounded by the turbulence of new love. Thomas sings an upbeat version of “Speak Low,” from the 1943 Broadway musical One Touch of Venus that was made into a film in 1948 and sung by Dick Haymes. Thomas first heard Proulx’s beautiful ballad, “Stuck in a Dream,” when he sang it in a master class. Proulx composed the music with lyrics written by his frequent collaborator, K. Lawrence Dunham. “A Sleepin’ Bee” is another mid-tempo swinger. Performed by Diahann Carroll in the musical House of Flowers, the song became a standard even though the movie was a flop.

“Too Late Now” was sung by Jane Powell in the movie Royal Wedding. Thomas’ sultry voice and wistful delivery capture the sorrow at the heart of the song. Thomas wanted to end the album with a positive message and chose “Two for the Road,” a Mancini classic about enduring love in the face of life’s hardships.

For Veronica Thomas, the heart and soul of a song is its lyrics, and she is indeed a superb storyteller. Eschewing vocal gymnastics, Thomas’ warm, smoky voice creates the kind of intimate atmosphere that only a sensitive artist, an artist who comes to her art with maturity and thoughtful consideration, can muster.

With John Proulx at the helm and a band of top-notch musicians, THEY SAY IT’S WONDERFUL is a delightful addition to Thomas’ growing catalog.

THEY SAY IT’S WONDERFUL was released on July 12, 2024 on Nica Carrington Productions and is available everywhere.

Online:

Nicacarrington.com
Facebook.com/nicacarrington
IG: @nica_carrington

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