Vocalist Maria Jacobs has had a career that has emphasized the gospel side of the tracks, and has put out a respectable catalogue in that genre. Here, she’s left the church pews, crossed the street and has strolled down Tin Pan Alley for a collection of standards. What makes this one different than other recordings of the same style is that Jacobs performs each song in a rotating environment of duos, with either guitar (Bob Fraser or Steve Cipriano), bass (Tony Dumas, no less!) or piano (Dan Maier). The thick toned and chorded Cipriano creates a warm environment for the intimately voiced Jacobs, as she sounds relaxed and reflective on “It Could Happen To You” and “The Nearness of You.” With Fraser, she gets a bit feisty on “Too Close For Comfort” swinging at just the right clip, while with Dumas she performs a clever take of the Beatles’ “I Will” that puts new wine into an old bottle. The closing “Yeh Yeh” with Maier is the longest, at over 6 minutes, and has the most jazz clubby feel, making the listener hope for more of this style on subsequent sessions. Nice opening chorus!