Barb Jungr - Shelter From The Storm - The Huffington Post

There was a time not that long ago when cabaret rooms and jazz rooms were considered distinct territories. You might say the difference came down to-this is an extreme generalization, of course-the former venues being a place where lyrics took precedence and the latter venues being a place where melodies took precedence.

But to borrow a phrase from Bob Dylan, whose work is now showing up in both arenas, things have changed. The reasons why are too extensive to go into here, but what's important for this report is that entertainers and musicians who previously would have restricted themselves to one locale or the other are crossing the street more often. 

Shelter from the Storm - Barb Jungr - Linn: Truth is, she's shuttled between rooms for a while, but the collaboration with Laurence Hobgood, possibly best known these days for his collaboration with first-man-of-jazz-singing Kurt Elling, is a big step farther into jazz fields. Moreover, Jungr is so supernal at what she does that she transcends any sort of easy categorizing and rises to a uniquely higher plane. Part of the explanation is her ability to delve into songs and find things in them even their manufacturers hadn't realized were there. She's also committed to having a strong motive for any collection she puts together. Sensitive to how troubled the world is now, she's gathered these numbers together for their offering at least tentative hope. Unsurprisingly, she includes songs from her long-time fave raves Dylan and Leonard Cohen. With them she's found comforting, teasing messages from, for instance, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, Stephen Sondheim and David Bowie, along with three atmospheric entries Hobgood and she have penned. In liner notes, Jungr writes, "Come ride our camel towards the oasis." Accept the invitation: Saddle the nearest camel quickly.