It is quite remarkable how at home Kurt Elling makes himself in the Branford Marsalis Quartet, so much so that Marsalis later said he felt the singer was a natural fifth member of the group. Although Elling admitted to a little bit of nervous tension prior to the session – and why not, the group has been around since 1996 with very few changes in personnel and has established a tight little musical world of their own – the singer actually comes up with one of his best performances on record. Working out on a collection of handpicked songs, most of which even the most diehard jazz fan will not have heard before, Marsalis' expanded group comes up with a real ‘album’ experience, with a performance arc that leads from one song into the next without disjunction that together create an absorbing musical journey. Highlights include ‘I’m a Fool to Want You', a duet between singer and saxophonist and Sting's ‘Practical Arrangement’, while Elling makes a fine job of Sonny Rollins' ‘Doxy’ using Mark Murphy's lyrics.