Jane Monheit – The Lovers, The Dreamers and Me

Jane Monheit’s latest release, The Lovers, The Dreamers and Me, is not an easy-listening one. It may take some patience and shots of espresso to get through the entire disc. Except for the light swing on “Get Out of Town,” the tempos are slow and sometimes dead slow. Her sweet, rounded voice combined with the doleful orchestration makes tunes like “Ballad of the Sad Young Men,” “Slow Like Honey” and “I Do It For Your Love” sound super sleepy. On “Lucky to Be Me,” her languorous phrasings drag the melody into an indolent afternoon. “Rainbow Connection” perfectly ends the album with a lullaby. As unexciting as it might be, the album does come to life in the stillness of the night when everything else is asleep.