Jane Monheit - Come Dream With Me (2001)

Jane Monheit's sophomore outing follows in the same accessible mold as her debut, Never Never Land. The young, fairly green vocalist is joined again by all-star musicians, including renowned pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Christian McBride, and drummer Greg Hutchinson, with Michael Brecker and Tom Harrell making a handful of guest appearances each. Closing the album on a surprising note, African phenom Richard Bona joins for an intimate duo rendition of Joni Mitchell's "A Case of You," playing acoustic guitar accompaniment and overdubbing fretless bass filigree behind Monheit's vocal. Monheit's exquisite voice is becoming more seasoned and expressive, particularly on sassier numbers like "Hit the Road to Dreamland" and "I'm Through with Love." She also wraps her seductive charm around Jobim's swaying free-association poem "Waters of March" and takes on two of jazz's grand ballads, Billy Strayhorn's "Something to Live For" and Fran Landesman's "Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most." The latter, a duet with Kenny Barron, prompts one to compare and contrast Chaka Khan's rendition with Chick Corea on 1982's Echoes of an Era. "Blame It on My Youth," "I'll Be Seeing You," and "Over the Rainbow" are pleasant but less remarkable. (The hidden 12th track, which features Monheit as a child croaking her way a cappella through "Over the Rainbow," is a harmless bit of self-indulgence.) There are a number of textural enhancements that distinguish this album from its predecessor, including subtle overdubbed background vocals, unobtrusive string orchestrations by Bill Fisher, and general arranging input from the superb young pianist David Berkman. With the Joni Mitchell tune and also with "If," a '70s soft rock hit by Bread, Monheit complicates her image as a retro jazz classicist, which earned her some rather severe critical drubbing when she broke onto the scene in 2000.