Kevin Bronson on May 2nd, 2011

0

Leftover Cuties doll up vintage jazz-pop for the speakeasies of 2011, and in their hands it’s easy to hear why this sound never grows old. With her sultry pipes and precise phrasing, singer Shirli McAllen recalls plenty of lounge singers who got too big to play lounges (and also brings to mind Suzanne Santos of L.A. duo HoneyHoney), and abetted by Austin Nicholsen’s ukulele, Ryan Feves’ upright bass, Stuart Johnson on drums and the keys/horn/accordion from Mike Bolger, the results are coy, sexy and smart. The title track to their album “Places to Go” (produced by Tony Berg and out May 31) turns a cliché into a nifty chorus, and the track “Game Called Life” has gained wide exposure as the theme song to the Showtime series “The Big C.” Just add scotch and a cigar.

||| Live: Leftover Cuties perform tonight at It’s a School Night at Bardot and celebrate their album release with a show June 2, also at Bardot.

||| Download: After the jump, trade your e-mail for a download of the track “Places to Go,” and check out the video for “Game Called Life”: