Letters on the Mantel

jazz, Smoky 1940s torch-song ballad, slow swing rubato into a languid 6/8 sway; brushed kit, upright bass, muted trumpet fills, and mournful clarinet lines. Rich piano voicings under warm male vocals with old-hotel-room reverb; vocal leans into croon and micro-slides. Chorus blooms with close-voiced backing harmonies and a slight dynamic lift, then falls back to fragile, almost spoken phrases on the bridge., tone, sad, deep, slow