Something Cool
by William RuhlmannThe Manhattan Transfer's Cheryl Bentyne tries a solo album of pop standards, backed by trumpeter/producer/arranger Mark Isham, and comes up with a winner. Bentyne sings both evergreens like the title track, "Fever," and Duke Ellington's "I Didn't Know About You," plus newer material, in a sensuous, smoky voice that sounds made for a late-night second set, and even with the somewhat modernistic backings Isham conceives, the songs have a traditional feel. An excellent entry in the classic pop lists.