Waves: The Bossa Nova Session

Atwood is a gifted singer with a sublime, delicate delivery, that is sometimes breathy, always nicely nuanced, always under complete control; a singer with an obvious passion for her craft. As the disc's title suggests, Bossa Nova is in the forefront here—three Jobim tunes, including the classic “Girl From Ipanema”; a lovley,lilting version of the McCartney/Lennon tune, “Fool on the Hill”, and a sad and sultry take Berlin's “How Deep is the Ocean” that will make you cry or fall in love with Atwood, maybe both.

And it was a small stroke of genious to pair Eden with pianist/arranger Bill Cunliffe. Atwood's is a sweet, sometimes coy-sounding voice that some producers feel compelled to surround with washes of strings or (more's the horror) electronical walls of noise. Cunliffe goes mostly with the spare approach that showcases Atwood's talents perfectly.

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Track listing: He's a Carioca, O Pato, Meditation, Girl From Ipanema, Once Upon a Summer-time, Don't You Know I Care, Waves (Caminos Cruzados), Fool on the Hill, How Deep is the Ocean, Brazil, It's a Quiet Thing

Personnel: Eden Atwood, vocals; Bill Cunliffe, piano and arrangements; Darek Oles, bass; Joe LaBarbera, drums; Anthony Wilson, guitar; Pete Christlieb, tenor sax and flute; Scott Breadman, percussion