Jane Monheit - Taking a Chance on Love (2004)

Taking a Chance on Love

Jane Monheit

Track Listings

1. Honeysuckle Rose

2. In The Still Of The Night

3. Taking a Chance on Love

4. Bill

5. I Won't Dance

6. Too Late Now

7. Why Can't You Behave?

8. Do I Love You?

9. Love Me Or Leave Me

10. Embraceable You

11. Dancing in the Dark from "The Band Wagon"

12. Over the Rainbow

On her fourth album, Taking A Chance On Love, singer Jane Monheit makes her leap to the majors and the fit is a good one. As she's proven on past efforts, Monheit is a traditional stylist who expertly mines American standards by balancing pop's accessible sensibility and jazz's rich complexity. The material could be, and has been, in worse hands than Monheit's--her exceptional technique again brings these songs to life without taking liberties with structure, melody or odd arrangements. It's her exceptional execution, tonal palette, and phrasing that gives these songs a sense of artistry. She also gets subtle support from an impressive cast of sidemen (including guest singer Michael Buble, bassists Ron Carter and Christian McBride, and guitarist Romero Lubambo) in a variety of contexts, ranging from jazz combos to orchestra to vocal-and-single-instrument duets. Highlights include the tender "Embraceable You," the lushly orchestrated "Dancing in Dark" and the jaunty bebop version of "Honeysuckle Rose." –-Tad Hendrickson