Barb Jungr – Every Grain of Sand – Mojo

This could have been dreadful. Imagine, a cabaret diva hears a mysterious voice instructing her to record an album of Dylan songs, after which she dashes into a studio to do that very thing. That, according to Jungr, is how this album came about. Weird – and then some. But maybe there should be more such advisory utterances from above: Jungr approaches the Dylan songbook with a rare degree of intelligence, relishing each line in the manner of a true chansonnier. Not that she ever belts like Piaf, a singer who ranks among her inspirations. Jungr has opted for a softer line throughout, a touch of torch here, a soupçon of blues there. And if Things Have Changed pans out as a Brel-like tango and Tangled Up In Blue kicks up a jazz bejewelled leg in almost hornpipe stance, who's complaining? The kind of voice that many more should get around to hearing.