album review: Emmy Rossum’s ‘Sentimental Journey’ offers modern take on vintage sounds

Emmy Rossum has successfully embodied the antiquated spirit of many American classics, ranging from the ’20s to the ’60s in her cover album “Sentimental Journey.”  Rossum adds a modernized vocal clarity to several wholesome ballads and jazz tracks that were childhood staples in her household.

Each track is intended to correlate with one specific month, and “Sentimental Journey” represents January as the launch of another year.  Rossum was smart in meticulously choosing songs of the past to emotionally encompass her musical calendar.  This deliberate arrangement of songs could classify “Sentimental Journey” as a concept album.

The rasp of “Sentimental Journey’s” original singer Doris Day is the most noticeable missing element in the album’s title track.  Rossum’s signature straight tones and operatic vibrato sneak into her attempt of replicating the vintage sound.

However, Rossum’s consistency in adding personal touches to each track makes the album her own.

It’s also appreciated that the covers included on this album aren’t cliché songs covered by limitless artists. Rossum chooses 12 songs that highlight her rich timbre and impeccable range, especially in the identifiable ’20s track, “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out.”

The album doesn’t have the same appeal as other iconic talents of today, so listeners won’t be pressing repeat on any particular track, but it’s a satisfying stray from the techno and pop surplus topping today’s charts.

“Summer Wind,” originated by Frank Sinatra in 1966, offers crisp jazz instruments that complement a genuine performance from Rossum.  It’s easy to visualize this starlet performing in a speakeasy or jazz nightclub with each track change.

In Rossum’s rendition of “I’ll Be With You in Apple Blossom Time,” a classic from 1941, her singing takes on brighter vowel shapes, altering her voice appropriately with the style of that decade.  Each track is relatively short, offering little quips of time travel into eras very different from the musical fads seen in today’s music.

This vignette of various styles and the birdlike, adaptable vocal chords of Rossum remind listeners of the ever-changing expectations of music.  Her metaphorical ventriloquism into more than a decade of No. 1 hits and childhood memories attribute much to her versatility as a singer and actor.

rbrooks@unews.com