Yesterday, while out and about, Bella Beau’s five-song Que Sera Sera propelled the Mazda3 Time Machine through the slow-flowing traffic molasses to the era when big bands, orchestras and small combos alike provided the soundtrack to much of life. “Cry Me a River,” a long-ago hit for Julie London, spurred a tsunami of purrs to reverberate from the speakers, while “Smile” promised that turning one’s frown upside down can lead only to good things. A few tracks on and the title track flipped that notion on its head with its embrace of the philosophical concept of fatalism—albeit with a cheerful quotient. “What will be, will be.” Indeed.
The 13-minute excursion into decades long past resulted in me pulling up the Doris Day compilation I considered spotlighting not long after its release in January—The Complete Columbia Singles, Volume 6 (1953-1957)—but put off due to time constraints. The legendary Day is likely best remembered for her film career, especially her on-screen pairings with Rock Hudson, but she got her start with big bands/orchestras led by Jimmy James (no, not the NewsRadio station owner), Bob Crosby and Les Brown. She scored numerous hits during the 1940s and ‘50s, most notably “My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time” and “Sentimental Journey” (both with Les Brown), which ruled the charts following the end of the war in Europe. “Que Sera Sera” was another sizable hit, reaching No. 2 in 1956; she sang the Oscar-winning song during a pivotal scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Man Who Knew Too Much, which she starred in with Jimmy Stewart.
Back on point: By the time I arrived home, I was again listening to and enjoying Bella Beau’s EP. The stamp-sized cover art shows her posed as if the demure Day or Audrey Hepburn, i.e. poised and graceful, and perfectly represents the music. She possesses a velvety voice that pleasantly ruffles the soul whenever she goes low. In some ways, pressing play on the EP is akin to picking up radio waves, sans static, from the distant past. Call it the silver screen set to song, retro-jazz, what have you; all I know is that it’s captivating from start to end.
Off stage, she’s a teenager (real name: Bella Haemmerle) whose discography is—understandably—slim. Among the highlights: a theatrical “Gee, Baby, Ain’t I Good to You,” which has been recorded some 400 times since the 1929 original, plus a sweet rendition of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” which has been pressed to wax 2000+ times since 1944, both of which she makes her own. Here’s hoping she continues on and releases a full-fledged album.
The track list:
The Old Grey Cat 