Toda una Vida

Spanish singer Carmen Cuesta has primarily worked as a backup vocalist and guest artist for folks like Larry Coryell, Donald Harrison, and particularly Chuck Loeb (where she also does double duty as his wife). Here, Loeb and a top-notch acoustic jazz band join Cuesta for a set of Latin-flavored torch songs. While some singers feel the need for histrionics, Cuesta stays low-key (which explains her appeal as a backup singer). She works the midrange of her soft alto voice with a premium on phrasing, tonal color, and subtlety. That she’s middle-aged gives evergreens like “Quizas, Quizas, Quizas,” “Dos Gardenias," and a dramatic version of “Besame Mucho” a knowing gravitas. Cuesta generally leans on Spanish boleros here, but she does return to the bossa nova (she previously recorded 2010’s Mi Bossa Nova) for Jobim’s lesser-known “Eu Se Que Vou Te Amar.” She's also done quite a bit of writing over the years, but here she only includes her “No Te Confundes,” lending it her most assured vocal performance of the set.