Chicago-based vocalist G. Thomas Allen made history by becoming the first male to win 1st Place at The Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. Now with the coveted title, Allen’s rise on the jazz scene is undeniable, and now widely acclaimed performing all over the globe. Back in the studio, Allen’s stratospheric vocals are in full effect on his new recording, Love Affair: Serenades of the Heart; a cool and caressing collection of standards, vocal interludes, and original compositions that narrate and navigate the intricate nuances of romance. The follow-up to his 2020 self-titled album, Love Affair, is a conceptual evolution from Allen’s first record. Supported by drummer Jonathan Pinson, bassist Jeremiah Hunt, pianist Dennis Luxion, and alto saxophonist Brent Griffin, Jr., Allen’s elegiac vocals on the album’s ten selections ride on a melodic, moving magic carpet powered by intricate and evocative moods, rhythms, and grooves. Cole Porter’s “Love for Sale” is reimagined with Latin rhythms, while Billie Holiday’s “Good Morning Heartache,” and the Sarah Vaughan-eseque, rendition of another standard, “Tenderly (Sassy)” are Allen’s divine and mellow shoutouts to those immortal jazz divas. The originals include the multi-tempoed “Love Affair” and the swinging, 4/4 selection “Drowning,” the bluesy, “Wouldja Couldja,” the Quiet Storm-cadenced “Remember”, and the brush-stroked, mid-tempo track, “Something’s on My Mind,” a spin on his original “You & Me”.