Vocalist and Pianist Tom Hook mixes nostalgia, Broadway and swing on this album where he teams with strings, saxes and female vocalists. Sometimes it’s difficult to remember that he’s in charge, as he lets the ladies get in front of ”Bounce Me Brother With a Solid Four” and “I Hear A Sound.” Likewise the duet with Cristina Perez on the take of Tom Waits’ cute “I Never Talk to Strangers” is as cozy a duet as the original. Hook himself sounds melodramatic on the fully produced “Here’s To Life,” taps into his inner Sinatra on “Come Fly With Me” and “That Old Black Magic” while having a gas with trombonist Rick Trolsen on “My Ju and I.” He veers between the world of pop, clever obscurities and hard hitting swing, connecting on all pitches and hitting safely to all fields.