Anthony Strong's second release on French independent label Naïve picks up where his 2013 label debut Stepping Out left off, with one important difference. The 14-track song list similarly mixes jazz and pop standards with three fine originals penned with lyricist Guy Mathers, but here they're clothed in dramatic, widescreen big band arrangements, including a spectacularly OTT introduction to ‘Whatever Lola Wants’. In turbocharged takes on ‘Nothing Like You’, from the brilliant songwriting team of Bob Dorough/Fran Landesman, and Michael Jackson's ‘Don't Stop Till You Get Enough’, Strong's keen ear for textural detail shines through, while beautifully restrained readings of the great Elvis Costello/Cait O'Riordan song ‘Baby Plays Around’ and Irving Gordon's ‘Unforgettable’ ensure that it's not all grab-you-by-the-lapels stuff. On album opener ‘On A Clear Day’ and elsewhere, Strong's meticulous arranging skills and energising pianism highlight a knack for making the most wellknown standard sound bracingly fresh. The gloriously feel-good arrangement of ‘When It Moves You’, complete with celestial backing vocals, makes it the pick of the three originals.