As its title suggests, this latest release from the French-born, US-based jazz singer represents a number of firsts in her musical journey. It’s Aimée’s first album since moving on from the band she led for a number of years, her first studio album since leaving Brooklyn for New Orleans, plus her first ever songbook. While Sondheim’s ‘Send in the Clowns’ has been covered by a host of vocalists, including Sarah Vaughan, entire Sondheim songbooks by jazz artists are rare indeed, which makes Move On: A Sondheim Adventure all the more intriguing. The seed of the album was sown in 2013 when Aimée took part in a tribute concert for the Broadway legend at New York’s City Center. The 14-song collection proves to be a thing of multifarious delights, from the a cappella layering of album opener ‘When I Get Famous’ to the almost Jobim-esque guitar-voice take on ‘With So Little To Be Sure Of’. Other highlights include the joyous second-line rhythms of ‘Take Me To The World’; the metrical games of the Sweeney Todd ballad ‘Not While I’m Around’; the vast space carved out by the multi-layered sax lines in the luminous introduction to ‘I Remember’; plus a life-affirming ‘Being Alive’. From the ghostly fiddle harmonics of ‘One More Kiss’ (sung in French) to the dramatic heft of the surprising brass entry in ‘No One Is Alone’, the singer receives exemplary support throughout. But it’s Aimée’s imaginative grasp of the music which really draws you in.