On Introducing, Julliard graduate and operatic baritone Steven Herring brings together 10 Great American Songbook classics, fronting an impressive band that includes cornetist Kirk Knuffke, tenorist Stephen Riley, pianist Russ Lossing and the seasoned rhythm section of bassist Jay Anderson and drummer Billy Drummond. Herring possesses a remarkably rich instrument, and the beauty of tone and ability to sing through the melodic line are beyond doubt, but – as heard on material that ranges from Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer's incantatory (and Oscar-nominated) ‘That Old Black Magic’ to Hoagy Carmichael and Ned Washington's beautifully flowing ballad ‘The Nearness Of You’ – the phrasing, dynamics and relationship to the pulse are clearly those of a trained classical singer. Herring approaches the material more from an art song perspective rather than as a vehicle for improvisation, though the results on songs such as ‘Poor Butterfly’ (inspired by one of the many operas that Herring has performed in, Madame Butterfly), are never less than engaging.