Dianne Reeves • Beautiful Life • Concord Records • Producer: Terri Lyne Carrington • Score: 8 out of 10
In the spirit of her producer Terri Lyne Carrington’s 2011 Grammy winning The Mosaic Project, which featured Reeves among a bevy of top female guest artists, Reeves draws from an eclectic palette of influences, beautifully reimagining classics (“I Want You,” “Waiting in Vain,” “Stormy Weather,” Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams”) amid a batch of beautiful originals. She elegantly rises to the challenge of staying front and center while vibing with jazz and R&B greats, including Robert Glasper, Esperanza Spalding, Gregory Porter, Lalah Hathaway, Sean Jones, Raul Midon and some of the last ever sessions by Reeves’ cousin and longtime collaborator George Duke.
– Jonathan Widran
