Rachael & Vilray Rachael & Vilray LP (Vinyl)

Rachael & Vilray is the debut album by Lake Street Dive singer-songwriter Rachael Price and composer, singer and guitarist Vilray. The twelve-song set features ten originals by Vilray, along with two covers from the era that inspired him: Cuban composer Pedro Junco Jr.'s 1943 "Nosotros" and Milton Drake/Louis Atler's "I Love The Way You're Breaking My Heart", first popularized by Peggy Lee. Price and Vilray, who began performing together in 2015, recorded the album with Lake Street Dive pianist Akie Bermiss, a rhythm section and a small complement of horns, plus a guest performance from pianist Jon Batiste on "Go On Shining". Dan Knobler, who had worked with Lake Street Dive on the Free Yourself Up album, produced.

Rachael Price (Lake Street Dive) and Vilray became friends when they were students at the New England Conservatory of Music and formed a duo based on their shared reverence for the pop music of the 1930s and '40s. They perform original works and revive forgotten gems of the jazz big bands and western swing ensembles. Rachael and Vilray's sound recalls both the warmth of radio's golden age and the intimacy of parlor concerts in a time before recordings.

It's a special kind of magic when two voices meet and immediately sound like they've never been apart. The voices of acoustic duo Rachael & Vilray are magical enough on their own, but when they blend in song the results are utterly sublime.