Daniela Andrade : Classy & Jazzy

I was lucky enough to come across Daniela's Youtube channel a couple hours ago and found myself lost in her sound. Whether it's her on guitar, or it's a friend of hers, the guitar is always loveably smooth. And as for her vocals, they're like rays of sunshine on a cloudy day. Though she comes across as an incredibly relaxed character in her videos, she holds a certain class. It may be her song choices, the way she chooses to perform or maybe it's just "something" about her. Anyways, let me tell you about the first cover of hers I came across.

"Fly Me To The Moon", written by the incredible Bart Howard and performed by many, including Frank Sinatra, Bobby Womack, Ella Fitzgerald, Nancy Wilson, Della Reese, Diana Krall, Kaye Balard, Brenda Lee, Peggy Lee, Nat King Cole and...Daniela Andrade. I was surprised to find such a "cute" little cover of the song on Youtube. What do I mean by "cute" little cover? Well, I mean it' the kind of cover you hear someone singing in the corner of a cafe, or on a sandy beach under the moonlight. It's not the sort of thing you'd expect to find on Youtube. Yet, Daniela brings a certain natural element to the song that I just love. She doesn't "kill" the song, like many big vocalists do but presents it in an almost Jason Mraz kind of way. Very light, very easy yet very jazzy (which does not necessarily parallel with light and easy). Anyways, all in all, it's a great cover. Have a listen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bskVSkAPnE

You see what I mean about class? She sings the song as if it is a most delicate and fragile piece, and she doesn't want to damage it. And it almost comes off as a balancing act where she's delicately moving along the melody line, keeping everything in place. It's not for everyone, but Daniela certainly pulls it off, and not just in that particular cover.

Another cover of hers that really struck me was of Nouvelle Vague's "In A Manner Of Speaking". This time with Dabin on guitar, Daniela has the chance to focus on her vocals and let Dabin take care of the guitar. Once again the guitar line is loveably smooth, but there is a certain beat to it that wasn't there before. I'm not talking about the little slap that Dabin gives the guitar here and there but a certain rhythmical element he brings to the song. Daniela's vocals sail across Dabin's wavy guitar line ever so beautifully And I also love the lick blues lick that Dabin fits into the end of video. Check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_0HLgpUuT4

Stunning! I love the cover and I love the song itself. Most people credit it to Nouvelle Vague, who gave it that incredibly memorable sound but the song is actually by Tuxedomoon. You'd have to be into experimental sounds and some New Wave music to come across that however. And, I'm guessing that's how Nouvelle Vague (French for New Wave) got their name. I'm always surprised how many people don't know that Nouvelle Vague is technically a cover band, although they resurrect songs in a very original sound. Anyways, back to Daniela.

Aside from Daniela's stunning covers, she's got a bunch of great originals. The one that stood out to me most was her most recent upload, called "Don't Care". She plays a Fender Telecaster on the song and the video is almost reminiscent of Jack White's recent music videos, such as "Love Interruption". What I love about the song itself is that it seems to bridge the gap between bands such as Nouvelle Vague and recent artists such as Lana Del Rey. Overall it's an incredibly attractive song that I could definitely imagine being a part of a movie soundtrack. I really like the sound of a Telecaster against Daniela's melodious voice. May I just say that the other two videos were from 2009, so it's obvious that there's been a huge evolution artistically. It seems that class caught up with her fashion sense too. I really hope people get to listen to this fabulous, incredibly talented artist! Check back tomorrow for another fantastic artist.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lodu6rx62I

Alex Hamel