When this CD, Nature arrived on my desk, I scanned quickly through the publicity blurb and saw the words jazzy pop. The record came dangerously close to landing in the trash. We don’t review pop!

Happily, I gave it a spin and remembered the old saying, "Never judge a book by its cover." While Nature won’t sit on the same shelf as Miles, Coltrane or Ellington, it stands on it’s own in musical merit. It’s a wonderful album.

Dave’s True Story started as a duo originally and is now a trio including guitarist/songwriter David Cantor, vocalist Kelly Flint and bassist Jeff Eyrich. A dozen jazz instrumentalists join the trio for the Nature session. In 1994 the group garnered the Kerrville New Music award and toured the Netherlands in 2000 where they had a hit single on the Dutch charts. The ice-skating superstar Katerina Witt sought out the group for her TV special Divas On Ice. Witt also used the trio’s recording of Fever for other ice events where she performed.

David Cantor’s songs are written with feeling and an obvious love of melody. Kelly Flint delivers the message convincingly and with emotion. Her jazzy style goes one notch beyond swing. It’s downright sexy and I think I’m in love! Flint has a great sense of time, a talent that many singers never develop.

All tracks on Nature are enjoyable but I’ll mention a few favorites. Dog’s Life swings like a pendulum and has a Peggy Lee feel to it. Chasing The White Line Down is a song of the open road and the vocal is shared by Flint and bassist Jeff Eyrich with some nice instrumental bits by piano and flugelhorn. Who Would Guess has a nice continental sound featuring a tenor solo by Bernhard Ullrich and interesting rhythms by Rich Zukor. Kiss Me Quick is a gem that enjoys a sort of 1920’s feeling and is just pure fun. Bernhard Ullrich appears on soprano sax to open the final track, Blue Nile followed by Kelly Flint’s simple but beautiful vocal.

David Cantor is a helluva songsmith and his pen is, perhaps, the band’s greatest asset. Hopefully we’ll hear more of his music on the airwaves in the future. It deserves proper exposure on jazz radio.

The CD includes a bonus video track in the form of an arty black & white piece filmed on the streets of New York and titled The World In Which We Live. Call it "jazzy pop" if you must but give it a listen anyway. Sound samples are available at the band’s website.