by Jason Ankeny
Barbara Lea's Riverside debut boasts a stark simplicity absent from her subsequent Prestige sessions--though stocked with shopworn standards like "Love Is Here to Stay" and "Come Rain on Come Shine," Woman in Love's minimalist sensibilities lend its music a distinctly modern edge. Paired with the Billy Taylor Trio and augmented by guitarist Jimmy Shirley and trumpeter Johnny Windhurst, Lea approaches the material with style and sophistication, quickly proving herself a fiercely intelligent interpreter of the Great American Songbook--though familiar in concept and form, the album is startlingly fresh. (The SSJ label's CD reissue adds a pair of bonus cuts: "Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home" and "I'll Bet You a Kiss.")