Corinne Letellier: Le Calice

Corinne Letellier makes her maiden voyage as a leader on Le Calice, a marvelous mixture of jazz and pop, under the guidance of Project Zlust member Olivier Samouillan. Letellier surrounds her vocal stylings with an interesting group of musicians and arrangers who showcase her crisp voice in a variety of settings. Her voice and the instruments come up with some engaging textures on songs like "La fille du Nord" and "Echo Donne."

The music is infinitely listenable, weaving strands of jazz, bossa nova, ballads and pop into a vibrant fabric that at the same time is both timeless and contemporary, with her voice always front and center. At moments Letellier's voice and delivery strike your memory in familiar ways. Comparisons to world-famous blues and jazz singers are tempting, perhaps justified.

The net result is diverse, whether moody ("L'autre rive," "La fille du Nord") lush and danceable ("Nous y sommes"), Latin-tinged ("Mon ame soeur") or tense ("Nadia"), but the overall feeling is of lounge jazz. Letellier takes various musical instruments in tightly-knit, interwoven elements and weaves magic with her voice. Le Calice is an excellent set that shows great promise from this fine singer.