Carol Bach-y-Rita - What Love Is (2009)

Californian vocalist Carol Bach-y-Rita sails through a swank set of jazz'n'bossa, delving into an intriguing repertoire that largely strays away from the big bossa classics... There's only one Tom Jobim standard, for one thing ("Corcovado," as fine a choice as any...) alongside material by Moacyr Santos, Gilberto Gil and Kleber Jorge, as well as an oldie by King Pleasure, a translated version of "You Don't Know What Love Is," and a delightful voice/flute duet on "Cidade Lagoa," which for me is an album highlight. She sings in both English and Portuguese; I prefer the Portuguese-language tracks, but it's all nice. Producer and tenor saxophonist Robert Kyle leads a small ensemble that provides concise, sympathetic backing...if you like artists such as Elaine Elias, Diana Krall, et. al., you'll probably enjoy this as well. Nice, classy stuff for the "smooth jazz" crowd.