Dianne Reeves - A Little Moonlight (2003)

A LITTLE MOONLIGHT won the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album.

Smoothly sophisticated, low-key jazz from a fast-maturing talent, A LITTLE MOONLIGHT by Dianne Reeves collects standards such as Cole Porter's "I Concentrate on You," here given a seductive bossa-nova treatment, and the solo guitar-accompanied "Darn That Dream." This is a set that takes the title of "Lullaby of Broadway" literally, presenting it in a way guaranteed to lull Manhattan babies to sleep well before their accustomed bedtimes. The interplay between the musicians, the core of whom are Reeves's regular touring band, is subtle yet essential to this mellow album. Produced by veteran Arif Mardin (whose career has been rejuvenated by his involvement with the genre-spanning Norah Jones), A LITTLE MOONLIGHT sets its roots firmly in jazz, though its late-night sophistication is sure to appeal to fans of Jones's smoothly persuasive vocals and soft-pedaled arrangements.