For her fifth release on Palmetto Records, vocalist Kate McGarry pays homage to her jazz heroines, ranging from Betty Carter to Sheila Jordan to Carmen McRae. As evidenced by album opener ‘We Kiss In A Shadow’, McGarry has developed a remarkable propensity for completely redefining hallowed standards. Following Carter's lead, the singer does a bang-up job of subtly subverting the ever-socondescending lyrics of ‘Girl Talk’. If the duet with Kurt Elling on Dori Caymmi and Nelson Motta's ‘O Cantador’ flickers without fully catching fire, then ‘The Man I Love’ is a real barnburner. Featuring quietly shimmering organ chords, gently strummed guitar, and a quite deliberately telescoped harmonic palette, this ultra-slow take on the Gershwin classic sounds as if it could have been filtered through the mind of Samuel Beckett, such is its pared down, unembellished power. With other highlights including swingingly straightahead takes on ‘This Heart Of Mine’ and ‘It's A Wonderful World’, Girl Talk sees McGarry utilising the full range of her impressive artistry. McGarry's band provide exceptionally apposite accompaniment. Alongside guitarist Keith Ganz (the singer's husband, co-arranger and producer), the quintet also includes in-demand keyboardist Gary Versace, the always versatile bassist Reuben Rogers and the great Clarence Penn on drums.