CD Review: If I Loved You

Cambridge Chronicle
February 9, 2005

CD Review: If I Loved You
By Ed Symkus

Singing together and apart, sometimes even trading off verses in the same song, Carrey and McMillan present a splendid set of cabaret-style performances of tunes from the Great American Songbook, including “It Might as Well be Spring,” “Fever” and the title number. McMillan sometimes has the sweet tenor lead, with Carrey providing the high harmonies, yet she often hits the lower notes while he sings above. There’s a wide variety of instrumentation — just a piano on some songs, a flute joining on another, one featuring solos from piano, bass and trombone. And every song is sung from the heart, with a wink or two on the witty “The Little Things You Do Together” and “I Wish I Were in Love Again.” McMillan’s best singing is on “What Is This Thing Called Love?” Carrey’s is on the funny, wistful “Life Story.”