This woman's voice is nearly flawless. She lands spot on every note with a clear clean tone that communicates cool. She uses dynamics beautifully from her husky whisper through her bell-like middle volume to the soaring power of her loudest passages. She lets us know which passages she considers intimate and which she considers to be a joyful proclamation. Her singing always sounds effortless, even her loudest high notes never sound forced or strained ... she sings easy, the way jazz should be sung.

A few of her musical phrases are almost too polished taking on more of a classical air, but Jane swings so well that it doesn't sound contrived. I found it remarkable that I could easily understand every lyric, even the rapid-fire of "Twisted", she even enunciates perfectly.

Jazz is the music of ideas and Jane has wonderful ideas. She thinks well on her feet, improvising with beautiful taste. It is obvious that she can flawlessly produce whatever sound comes into her head and this gives her singing great confidence, she knows she can go wherever she wants to go. Her ideas are recognizable as having been derived from earlier artists (I mostly recognized Ella and Carmen McRae) but she adds enough to make them fresh and interesting.

The one area where she is perhaps somewhat limited for now is interpretation. Ballads and happy swinging tunes about love she communicates with great conviction. But in my opinion she missed the sly humor and satire of "Twisted", she didn't really act the part. That however, seems a small point considering the power of this new singer.

Every once in a while, I hear an unfamiliar performer on the radio who grabs my attention and I start looking for their recordings. Never, however, has a new performer so blown me away with just a few snippets that I just had to buy their CD that same day. Never, that is, until I heard an interview with Jane Monheit on National Public Radio on one recent morning.

Those people who have given this CD a negative review are missing the point. No, Jane Monheit is not as good as Billie or Ella or Anita in their prime, but she is every bit as good as they were at the same point in their careers, if not better. Bille, Ella, and the others did not burst onto the musical world full-blown. They matured into the great artists that they eventually became. The same goes for Peggy Lee and Frank Sinatra. If you need proof, just listen to their earliest recordings.

Why would such top-flight jazz musicians as those on this CD want to participate in the debut album of a still immature new singer? I suspect that it is the same reason why Benny Goodman, Count Basie, and Teddy Wilson took an interest in the immature Billie Holiday or Tommy Dorsey hired the as-yet-unproven Frank Sinatra. They saw talent, musicianship, and potential. Great musicians are at their best when they are with other great musicians, so they seek each other out.

I am excited not only by what I hear from the 22-year-old Jane Monheit today but what I expect to hear from her in the future. If she is this good at 22, I can't wait to hear what she will be doing at 32.