Julie's stunning compact disc is called "Something Cool." And that's exactly what it is. It's a fifty-minute vacation to an inner world of beauty and passion; a swinging romp that's also a hypnotic seduction.

The numbers on Something Cool, backed by a solid instrumental combo:

Like Young
(Andre Previn)
The beat-generation standard gets the full boppin', finger-poppin' treatment.

Some Cats Know
(Jerry Lieber/Mike Stoller)
A steady, swooning, swaying, sax-laden strut to hipsville.

I Remember
(Stephen Sondheim)
A sometimes wistful, sometimes bold ballad, from the 1968 made-for-TV musical Evening Primrose.

Estaté
(Bruno Martino/Bruno Brighetti)
The quintessential slow, sultry samba, delicately and exquisitely rendered.

A Month In Italy
(Julie Cascioppo/Oscar Janusz)
An uptempo, lilting original romp, partly inspired by Julie's own trip to visit her Sicilian family roots.

Stop In the Name of Love (Holland/Dozier/Holland)
The Motown workhorse gets slowed way down and transformed into an achingly haunting plea for reconciliation.

Mambo Italiano
(Bob Merrill)
A brash, rollicking take on Rosemary Clooney's 1954 novelty hit.

Something Cool
(Bill Barnes)
The poignant, whispering tale of a lonely lady barfly who's seen better days.

I'm a Good Italian Mother
(Julie Cascioppo)
Another brisk and bouncy original, about a mama who really knows how to cook (in the kitchen and elsewhere).

Commecar Di Novo (To Begin Again)
(Jean Lins)
Another Brazilian pop classic, a smoky and knowing ballad of hope.

Il Mio Cuore Che Va (My Heart Will Go On) (James Horner)
Some songs just sound a lot cooler when sung in another language—such as the familiar "Titanic" love theme, which Julie turns into a quiet, plaintive tribute to the eternal spirit of Amor.

Infant Eyes
(Wayne Shorter)
Originally written by saxophonist Shorter in 1964 about his own daughter, Julie fills this delicate jazz lullaby with tender compassion and just a hint of lost-childhood nostalgia.

Her next album will be strictly jazz ballads.

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Samples from Something Cool
(in MP3 format) :

> Some Cats Know

> Like Young

> I'm a Good Italian Mother

" On this collection of novelty pop, standards, and originals, Cascioppo hovers delicately on the cusp of camp, without ever getting too whole hog about it. She's loopy and loungy, but she's also a damn fine singer, with a voice that's full of character, unlike the ethereal prettiness that's currently in vogue with bloodless types such as Diana Krall and Jane Monheit. And she can wring more meaning out of a language I don't know (Portuguese) than those two superstars manage to get out of English. Cascioppo does tunes like 'Some Cats Know' and 'Like Young' with the perfect balance of jazz cool and cabaret cheese, and also tenderly reinvents 'Stop in the Name of Love' as a kind of syrupy ballad crossed with 'Moonlight Sonata.' Her own tune 'I'm a Good Italian Mother' is hysterical. Expert studio backing comes from a group that includes her longtime pianist Ben Fleck, a pure pro throughout, and from local journeyman saxophonist Hans Teuber, who does everything from a perfect little Cuban/Italian mambo riff on flute to a breathy Houston Person-style turn on tenor. Like a meal at her old haunt, this one's simple, tasty, and made for your delectation."