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Finally someone is making cabaret hip and interesting. Admittedly interpretations of the Great American Songbook can always be fresh and rewarding. However, Jungr greatly expands the field of play, including songwriters like Leonard Cohen and Bruce Springsteen, into a very accessible mix for her latest CD, The Men I Love, and in her live shows. When it comes to bold choices for cabaret repertoire, Jungr's opening rendition of David Byrne and Brian Eno's "Once in a Lifetime" undoubtedly qualifies. Yet it proves to be a surprisingly amenable vehicle for her, thanks in large part to the lovely arrangement she and accompanist Simon Wallace penned, strikingly integrating Frank Schaefer's cello and Clive Bell's shakuhachi flute into the familiar Talking Heads hit. Though the tempo is slower and the atmosphere is more hushed, Jungr's smooth delivery of the thorny lyrics is still quite impressive. By contrast, the cabaret possibilities of the Leonard Cohen songbook are readily apparent. Indeed Jungr's treatment of "Night Comes On" is sensitive and powerful. Given her jazz and blues influences, it is not surprising she shows an affinity for Northern Soul on the appropriately soulful "Breaking Down the Walls of Heartache" that features a nice, if brief, jazz-like solo from Wallace.

Jungr's Men is an artfully crafted, contemporary sounding session that ought to satisfy both coffeehouse hipsters and the tony cabaret set. A stirring program of standards broadly defined, it should not be pigeonholed by genre or choice of repertoire. For the full effect, check her out live. To learn more, visit http://www.barbjungr.co.uk/