SuperBlue

"Though singing standards has been the forte of Grammy winning singer extraordinaire Kurt Elling, he shows a louche, funky side on the terrific SuperBlue, which finds him creating greasy, Steely Dan-esque grooves with guitarist Charlie Hunter, keyboardist DJ Harrison (from Butcher Brown) and drummer Corey Fonville. Witty original material sits next to striking vocalese versions of tunes by Wayne Shorter and Carla Bley and a surprising Cody Chestnutt cover. The killer cut is "Circus", an irresistible funk juggernaut over which Elling narrates offbeat lyrics penned by Tom Waits".