Monheit's sultry, satin-smooth traditional pop vocals wrap themselves around the lush string arrangements on half the tracks by producer Jorge Calandrelli, noted for his work with Tony Bennett and Barbra Streisand. Her jazz leanings are reflected in her vocal embellishments and choice of musicians and instrumentation. This pop-jazz combination works especially well on her yearning, ethereal version of the Henry Mancini-Johnny Mercer tune "Moon River" in which she engages in some wordless vocalizing in the middle.
But what really sets Monheit apart is that she has turned herself into one of the best interpreters of Brazilian music outside of Rio. The three tunes sung in the original Portuguese are among the highlights: "Rio de Maio" featuring a tender vocal duet with its composer Ivan Lins; and two Antonio Carlos Jobim songs, the more upbeat "So Tinha de Ser Com Voce," with saxophonist Ari Ambrose's warm, breathy tenor solo evoking memories of the Stan Getz-Astrud Gilberto recordings of the '60s, and "Caminhos Cruzados" with an appealing solo by veteran jazz harmonica player Toots Thielemans.
Two of the bossa novas feature English lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman, most notably "So Many Stars" on which Monheit's vocals soar over the arrangement by the tune's composer Sergio Mendes, who also accompanies and solos on piano. Monheit can't resist the lure of Brazil even on Stevie Wonder's "Overjoyed" which undergoes a makeover with a light samba beat.
CHECK THIS OUT: For those romantic summer nights, Monheit floats her way through the Henry Mancini classic "Moon River" wrapping her sultry voice around the lush string arrangement.
By CHARLES J. GANS, Associated Press Writer
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