For those unaware, New York-based vocalist Lizzie Thomas presents her career-defining fifth album, Duo Encounters. The inventive jazz singer — gifted with an inviting voice and a swinging style — teams up with a dozen of her favorite artists to perform a set of intimate and adventurous duets.

Over the course of twelve tracks, Thomas digs deep into the lyrics, and uplifts each song with her individualistic approach. Turning away from the conventional, these interpretations of carefully curated tunes are fun and adventurous.

The result is a memorable set of superbly sung and often surprising music and it’s Lizzie Thomas’ most rewarding recording to date.

1. Love For Sale (feat. Helio Alves) (2:33)
2. Willow Weep For Me (feat. Ron Carter) (5:05)
3. After You Who? (feat. Jon Di Martino) (3:36)
4. My Foolish Heart (feat. Russell Malone) (4:03)
5. Nature Boy (feat. Café da Silva) (4:43)
6. Both Sides Now (feat. Ron Affif) (6:04)
7. Have You Met Miss Jones? (feat. Dezron Douglas) (4:10)
8. Lush Life (feat. Wayne Escoffery) (5:50)
9. You’re Getting To Be a Habit With Me (Feat. Rossano Sportiello) (3:02)
10. Smile (feat. Guilherme Monteiro) (3:50)
11. Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye (feat. Noriko Ueda) (4:41)
12. ’Round Midnight (feat. Mairi Dorman-Phaneuf) (4:35)

This lushly orchestrated new album opens with the feverish Love For Sale (feat. Helio Alves) and the upright bass, ornate gossamer of Willow Weep For Me (feat. Ron Carter) and backs those up seamlessly with the flourishing After You Who? (feat. Jon Di Martino), the veritably shimmering My Foolish Heart (feat. Russell Malone), the atmospherically-insulated, stoic hue of Nature Boy (feat. Café da Silva), and then comes a quite magnificent, hauntingly sheer rendition of Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now (feat. Ron Affif).

Along next is the upright bass-led, Rogers & Hart classic Have You Met Miss Jones? (feat. Dezron Douglas) and a warmly embraced rendition of Billy Strayhorn’s Lush Life (feat. Wayne Escoffery), and they are in turn followed by the perky You’re Getting To Be a Habit With Me (Feat. Rossano Sportiello), the Charlie Chaplin cut Smile (feat. Guilherme Monteiro), the recording rounding out on the low slung swing of Cole Porter’s Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye (feat. Noriko Ueda), closing on a classically-imbued, effortlessly reaching rendition of Thelonius Monk’s ’Round Midnight (feat. Mairi Dorman-Phaneuf).

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