Blue Dahlia - Blue Dahlia (CD)

Athan Maroulis best known for singing lead with the industrial-darkwave outfit Spahn Ranch, the L.A. resident moves into something completely different as vocalist for the Blue Dahlia, a '40s-like romantic jazz-pop band that takes it name from Raymond Chandler's classic 1946 film noir thriller.

Those who associate Maroulis with Spahn Ranch will be impressed to learn that he is just as convincing as a suave, sophisticated crooner with a healthy appreciation of Frank Sinatra and Billy Eckstine. And Maroulis doesn't come across as a dilettante; when he tackles well-known standards like "Stardust," "Night and Day," "Ill Wind," and Eckstine's "I Want to Know About You," he brings genuine feeling to these time-honored classics. How about unearthing some of Nat "King" Cole's and Duke Ellington's lesser-known gems? The Blue Dahlia doesn't have to be innovative, but it needs to surprise us more often. Blue Dahlia makes it clear that an industrial-darkwave explorer can be equally effective as a jazz-pop crooner if he puts his heart into it.