Dianne Reeves

What a little elegance can do. Intimate, warm and sinewy describes both Reeves’ gorgeous contralto and her song choices. Her acoustic trio is telepathic, organic and very on. These are real woman songs, standards written by Cole Porter (“I Concentrate on You”), Richard Rodgers (“Loads of Love”), Thelonious Monk and Jon Hendricks (“Reflections”), and Hoagy Carmichael and Johnny Mercer (“Skylark”). Romantically adult, her renderings are both contemplative and anticipatory. Trumpeter Nicolas Payton’s soulful duet with Reeves on the dreamily heated “You Go to My Head” will make you purr. Legendary producer Arif Mardin was a perfect choice. If those millions of new Norah Jones fans would simply pick this album up, they would be doing themselves and the cause of real jazz vocals and acoustic artistry a huge favor.