Rachael & Vilray - West Of Broadway

Since their formation in 2015, Rachael & Vilray have achieved a certain timeless quality with their singular take on traditional pop. Though rooted in the language of an earlier age, their songs transcend nostalgia with wit and a flair for the theatrical. On their latest album, West of Broadway, vocalist Rachael Price (also of Lake Street Dive) and guitarist/singer/songwriter Vilray evolve some of their music’s previous dreaminess to achieve a refreshing angularity built on left-of-center instrumentation (exemplified in vibraphone and alto saxophone coasting above the dark and moody strains of baritone sax and trombone). The Brooklyn-based duo’s third full-length unfolds in a series of sharply drawn vignettes inspired in part by a fascination with classic musicals—bringing their luminous vocals to offbeat characters, and tales of love and heartache along city streets.

Recorded at the legendary Sear Sound in Manhattan, West of Broadway took shape with the help of renowned musicians like saxophonist Steve Wilson (a former member of Chick Corea’s Origin sextet), drummer John Riley (Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie), and trombone player Adam Dotson (Japanese Breakfast, Jon Batiste). Like all of Rachael & Vilray’s output to date—including their 2019 self-titled debut, hailed by NPR as “Tin Pan Alley meets the Lower East Side in a smoky bar,” and its 2023 follow-up I Love A Love Song!—the album finds Rachael & Vilray working with arranger Jacob Zimmerman and producer Dan Knobler (Allison Russell, Bahamas). But while their first two LPs leaned toward big band-style arrangements, West of Broadway mines inspiration from the West Coast school of cool jazz and arrives at a lush and effervescent sound utterly distinct to the duo. “Instead of attempting to recreate a big band section with a smaller number of musicians, I wanted to get a little wild and slightly weird with the instrumentation and trust that it would make for an interesting record,” says Vilray, who composes all of Rachael & Vilray’s material.