This cover of Nat King Cole's classic Nature Boy starts off with only Dave Holland's plucked bass; then Claudia enters with her beautiful, expressive voice. Add some sweet flutes from Avi Leibovich and percussion from Jeff "Tain" Watts and it's starting to warm up. Jason Lindner joins in on the piano, Claudia goes to the second verse and BAM she turns it up another notch. Claudia's vocals are strong and clear, and her grasp of the nuances of vocalizing put her a notch above. By the end of the track the band is in high gear and Claudia is positively smoking!
Chilean-born singer Claudia Acuña's second Verve album is a combination of American and Spanish standards, and it is sung in both languages, proving again that jazz is universal. Ay Mariposa swings entirely in spanish and remains beautiful (even though I do not speak spanish) as does the elegant Volver a los Diecisiete. The Acu–a original Nowhere to Go is also notable, combining a haunting melody with some nice guitars by Romero Lubambo.