Album: Norma Winstone, Stories Yet to Tell (ECM)

Winstone has been one of the UK's most sensitive and swinging vocalists for close to half a century but this second collaboration with reeds player Klaus Gesing and pianist Glauco Venier is nearly all sense and no swing.

Most of the pieces are built around texts, many by Winstone herself. But however beautiful the noodling musical settings, the similarity of method can grow irritating. It's as if everything is to serve the purpose of lyrics you've no reason to care about. When she loses the words and scats on "Lipe Rosize", it's fine.