For those unaware, celebrated British jazz vocalist Emma Smith, already a musical force with a devoted and ever-growing following in the UK and European markets, embarks on captivating the US fans with her forthcoming album, Bitter Orange, due out July 18th on La Reserve Records.

Known for her virtuosic chops and signature vivacious live shows, Smith, who is a multi-million streams artist, is the first UK artist to join the label’s roster and brings a lifetime of stories to these shores.

Bitter Orange is an intimate snapshot of the reality of Smith’s modern inner life with a sound rooted in yesterday — the glamour and the introspection of a self-making woman trying to be heard and make an impact.

“This album is my space to play with the juxtaposition of bitter and sweet, the humor and heartbreak that punctuate my life — the ups and downs, the wins and the losses,” she says. “There’s camp ridiculousness and raw vulnerability — and somehow, all of that is me.”

1. Hey World, Here I Am! (Intro)
2. I’m The Greatest Star
3. Frim Fram Sauce
4. Make It Another Old Fashioned, Please
5. Tonight
6. Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered
7. London Pride
8. What Took You So Long?
9. I’m in the Middle of A Muddle
10. Funny Face
11. My Funny Valentine
12. Polka Dots and Moonbeams

With the album paying homage to Emma’s musical inspirations including Ella Fitzgerald, Julie London, Oscar Peterson, and British jazz royalty Dame Cleo Laine, this new recording opens on the short but sweet intro to Hey World, Here I Am! and then we get the finger-snapping beauty I’m The Greatest Star, the sassy Frim Fram Sauce, the low slung Make It Another Old Fashioned, Please, before both an impassioned Tonight and the sultry Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered are brought forth.

Along next is the absorbingly comforting London Pride, the catchy What Took You So Long? and the flirtatiously memorable I’m in the Middle of A Muddle and they are in turn backed seamlessly by a heartfelt Funny Face, the serenely crafted My Funny Valentine, with the set rounding out all too soon on the flourishing Polka Dots and Moonbeams.

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