Teamed up with the simpatico trio of Johnny Taylor/p, Barry Donohue/b and Dominic Mulla/dr as well as guests Michael Buckley/sax-Ronan Dooney/fh, vocalist Stella Bass mixes classy versions of standards with some clever originals. She’s got a great sense of clarity in her enunciation and a relaxed sense of timing, purring out a radiant “Being Alive” and upbeat on the upbeat and upscale rendition of “This Could Be The Start of Something Big”. Her tone is almost clarinet like around Taylor’s nocturne of “Pure Imagination” yet digs in well on the galloping “”Old Devil Moon”. Her own material has a friendly maturity as she glides around Donohue on “All The Colours of My Love” and is quiet and collected on the sonata’d “Still”. Lots of girl-next-door charms that invite you in.