Ellen Honert: Breath of the Soul

In addition to her vocal facility, Honert has a way of attracting big-name talent to her cause. "Life is What You Make it was composed with guitarist Tuck Andres and sports the guitarist as accompanist to the duet of Honert and Patti Cathcart. The next piece, the well-reasoned original "Spring," uses the Turtle Island String Quartet as an abstract, almost obtuse vehicle.

George Duke's "Someday teams Honert with vocalist Tony Lindsay in a thumping piece of adult contemporary jazz that deserves much more attention that it has received. Stevie Wonder's "If it's Magic continues in this adult contemporary vein, without the punchy electric keyboards—suggesting that Wonder may provide the new book for future "standards.

Honert takes on the Beatles' "Got to Get You Into My Life. The Beatles' music is largely a mine field for jazz interpretation because of the iconic nature of the band the huge population of Baby Boomers who do not want to tread on that iconism. Regardless, Honert and her band seamlessly transform the pop classic into a very functional contemporary jazz vehicle.

Ellen Honert is a singer's singer. There is nothing flashy in her approach, in spite of her considerable chops. Breath of the Soul is a solidly enjoyable vocal outing.

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