by David R. AdlerJazz vocalist Vanessa Rubin is joined by a stellar cast on her second Telarc release. Bassist David Williams and drummer Lewis Nash hold down the rhythm, joined alternately by pianist\u002Farrangers Larry Willis and Cedar Walton, tenor saxophonists Eric Alexander and Javon Jackson, and trombonist Steve Davis. Rubin's flexible voice covers a wide-ranging repertoire, from standards to Sondheim (Loving You) to adult contemporary (Bill Withers and Larry Carlton's Whatever Happens). She also contributes a yearning original ballad, the closing If You Ever Go Away. The album is memorable mostly for its offbeat tracks, however: a jazz-waltz take on Matchmaker, Matchmaker (with the bridge in a snappy four); Walter Bishop's novelty number, Sex Is a Misdemeanor (The More You Miss, de Meaner You Get), a perky calypso featuring Rubin's double-tracked vocal with only bass and drums; and the penultimate track, David Williams' endearing Won't Have to Say Goodbye, which begins and ends with an implied reggae feel but swings in the middle. Rubin also delivers a splendid One for My Baby and invites the great Etta Jones for a tête-à-tête on But Not for Me and Gee, Baby, Ain't I Good to You.