Search - Jane Monheit :: Taking a Chance on Love

On her fourth album, Taking A Chance On Love, singer Jane Monheit makes her leap to the majors and the fit is a good one. As she's proven on past efforts, Monheit is a traditional stylist who expertly mines American standards by balancing pop's accessible sensibility and jazz's rich complexity. The material could be, and has been, in worse hands than Monheit's--her exceptional technique again brings these songs to life without taking liberties with structure, melody or odd arrangements. It's her exceptional execution, tonal palette, and phrasing that gives these songs a sense of artistry. She also gets subtle support from an impressive cast of sidemen (including guest singer Michael Buble, bassists Ron Carter and Christian McBride, and guitarist Romero Lubambo) in a variety of contexts, ranging from jazz combos to orchestra to vocal-and-single-instrument duets. Highlights include the tender "Embraceable You," the lushly orchestrated "Dancing in Dark" and the jaunty bebop version of "Honeysuckle Rose." ?-Tad Hendrickson