Daniel Cacija – Lifeline (Mons Records)

Croatian Cacija fled that war torn land in the early 90s to seek safety with his family in Frankfurt, Germany where aged just six he began professional music lessons and received a degree in classical piano from the city’s conservatoire.

Cajica gained both a Bachelors and a Masters Degree at the Kunstuniversitat in Graz, Austria and has collaborated with the likes of Kurt Elling, Sheila Jordan and Michael Abene as well as being vocal soloist for the German Jazz Orchestra.

Lifeline is a showcase for the vocal talent of Cacija and it’s understandable why Downbeat Magazine named him best young singer way back in 2013. There’s a smooth, unforced silkiness to his voice that never seems strained or that he trying to too hard but he still manages to convey an emotional element.

I don’t know all the tunes here, but there enough variety to keep the listener hooked until the very last note of the album fades. This is his first album and if this is anything to go by a bright future beckons for Cacija. He’s accessible, he swings and just very entertaining…which is what I want when I listen to this kind of music!
Stuart Smith