Taking a Chance on Love
On her fourth album, jazz-pop chanteuse Jane Monheit, 26, salutes the songs from the MGM musicals she watched while growing up on Long Island. Not taking many chances on these arrangements, she respectfully renders such standards as Cole Porter's "In the Still of the Night" and lesser-known tunes like "Too Late Now" (from 1951's Royal Wedding). Monheit comes off as a plain Jane on the orchestral renditions that, while accurately evoking the era, don't bring any new life to old faves like "Over the Rainbow." The pure-toned singer fares better when, backed by two different jazz combos (one featuring her husband, drummer Rick Montalbano), she puts a little swing in her step on numbers like "I Won't Dance," a playful duet with Michael Bublé. Best, though, is her lovely, Brazilian-tinged "Embraceable You" accompanied only by guitarist Romero Lubambo.
DOWNLOAD THIS: "Embraceable You"
