I Was Born in Love With You - Music by Michel Legrand

I Was Born in Love With You - Music by Michel Legrand by Jessye Norman [Soprano], Michel Legrand [Piano], Ron Carter [Double Bass], Grady Tate [Drums]

Just in case the name of Michel Legrand is not familiar, he is the composer of the infuriatingly catchy "The Windmills of My Mind" (actually "The Windmills of My Heart" in the original French) and all the songs in Les Parapluies de Cherbourg, the charming Catherine Deneuve film musical. The material on this disc ranges from the smoky melancholy of "Je vivrai sans toi" ("I Will Live Without You") to the hyperbolic camp of "Celui-là" ("The One") but mainly hovers in the realm of anguished longing. Jessye Norman uses the material to show off the extraordinary range and flexibility of her voice. She slips between a pure, almost boyish sound and a full-throated luxurious warble with ease. But idiomatically she may not be to everyone's taste: for the most part this is the musical territory inhabited by the Billie Holidays of the world, and Norman's technique puts her at a disadvantage. Michel Legrand in his role as pianist is another matter, however. His carefully nuanced accompaniments flow with improvisatory ease, and inspire some great moments from the bass and drums. --Warwick Thompson