Jane Monheit Never Lets You Go

You know a singer’s arrived when she furnishes the voice of a pop star who never existed, to a filmed alternate-history fable about a UK health care system founded on clones bred for organ harvesting.  Right? 

Well, Jane Monheit might have other ideas, for which I’d forgive her.  She might prefer, for example, to be remembered for contributing a lush take on a venerable classic, to a deliriously overblown space opera.

But frankly, the singer’s track record eclipses her soundtrack contributions.  Over eight studio albums (most recently 2010′s Home), she’s roamed her supple, considered-but-never-academic vocals through large portions of the so-called Great American Songbook, emerging with distinctive take after distinctive take.  She’s also done a song from The Muppet Movie, just to show she knows a solid tune wherever she catches one.

Ms. Monheit brings her show to Jazz Alley for three days starting this coming Friday. Catch her before she finally wins a Grammy.