Jazz Diva Pop

Astrud Gilberto, the Brazilian canary with the voice like honey and diction that defied belief, has been compiled many times on Verve, but rarely as well as on her entry in 2003's The Diva Series. A 21-track of her prime decade, the '60s, this one includes all of the classics associated with her: "The Girl From Ipanema," "Agua de Beber," "Corcovado (Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars)," "So Nice (Summer Samba)," and "Dindi." Not all of her LPs have been reissued on CD (in the States), so the compilers also added tracks that may surprise a few Gilberto fans, like "Eu e Voce" and "Canto de Ossanha (Let Go)."

British diva Sarah Jane Morris was born and raised in Southampton, England, attending London's Central School of Speech and Drama while concurrently mounting a music career singing jazz and soul classics in local clubs. Following stints with the Annie Whitehead Band and Latin combo the Republic, Morris was launched to fame after appearing with Jimmy Somerville on the Communards' chart-topping 1986 cover of the disco classic "Don't Leave Me This Way." Her debut solo album followed in 1989, featuring a controversial cover of Billy Paul's "Me and Mrs. Jones"; after touring in support of Simply Red, she returned to acting, appearing in 1991's The Beggars Opera. Morris's second album, the Martyn Ware-produced Heaven, appeared a year later, and in 1995 she released the live Blue Valentine. After spending the remainder of the decade away from the limelight, she issued Fallen Angel in 2000.

While quietly setting numerous standards both musically and technically in the jazz recording field, Digital Music Products has prided itself on pushing numerous stylistic envelopes, from the tasty pop fusion of Flim & the BB's and the Fantasy Band to the artsy, straight-ahead skinning of Joe Morello. Expanding its palette even further, the Stamford, Connecticut based company enters the New Adult Contemporary realm for the first time with the sly and seductive half-vocal, half-instrumental Follow Me by the new ensemble Thursday Diva. Mesmerizingly rhythmic, melodic, and tailor-made for late-night sensuality, Thursday Diva features the merging talents of producer, composer, percussionist, and keyboardist David Charles and composer, lyricist, and song stylist Lisa Lombardo, along with slick, all-star contributions from Michael Brecker, Nelson Rangell, and labelmate Chuck Loeb.

We'll Be Together Again is a 1994 album by Lena Horne. At the 1995 Grammy Awards, Horne was nominated for a Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Performance for this album. Lena Horne is nine years older than the 70-something Tony Bennett, and like him has lost a good bit of power and tone from her voice. Unlike Bennett, though, she doesn't try to bull her way through her vocal limits on We'll Be Together Again; she stays within those limits and fashions a striking testament to the subtleties of romance and friendship in one's autumnal years. Billy Strayhorn was one of Horne's very best off-stage friends, and seven of the 16 tracks here were written by Strayhorn and/or his partner Duke Ellington. Three more songs–"My Buddy," "Old Friend" and the title tune–are heartfelt remembrances of those once dearest to Horne and now gone–Strayhorn, her ex-husband, her son, her hairdresser and her wardrobe mistress.

The self-empowered diva breaks free of earthly restraints to float in an art-jazz universe of her own cut-and-paste design. Inspired perhaps by her pal Holly Cole, Jane Siberry shapes her surprisingly malleable voice and impressionistic lyrics to a variety of free-form moods whipped up by a skilled ensemble. "See The Child"'s hypnotic verbal and musical motifs make it a highlight along with the propulsive "Lovin' Cup" and lovely "Goodbye Sweet Pumpkinhead." It's challenging stuff for her mainstream fans, but that's okay–this is a bold, noteworthy experiment by an artist who remains bound by nothing but the beauty.