Album review: Kurt Elling’s Passion World is a celebration of musical diversity

The jazz singer expands his horizons with 14 songs that examine how different cultures explore romance and passion.

Passion World by Kurt Elling.
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Passion World

Kurt Elling

(Concord Jazz)

Four stars

The jazz singer Kurt Elling expands his horizons with this release of classic pop songs, using his expressive, rich baritone to perform music from three continents in five languages.

What binds the eclectic offering together is that all 14 songs examine how different cultures express romance and passion. On the traditional side, Elling offers a dolorous rendition of Loch Tay Boat Song, a Scottish ballad of unrequited love, accompanied by a soulful tenor sax solo by Tommy Smith of the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra.

Brahms's Nicht Wandle, Mein Licht, sung in German, starts with Elling singing it as a classical song before turning it into a soft jazz ballad.

In a contemporary vein, Elling includes a softer, slow, folk-jazz version of U2's Where the Streets Have No Name and a smooth version of Björk's Who Is It? Elling's lyrical smarts are shown on several original tunes, the standout being the lovely jazz ballad The Tangled Road, composed by France's Richard Galliano and featuring a tender melodic solo by German trumpeter Till Bronner.

Displaying a full range of emotions throughout, Passion World is Elling's celebration of musical diversity.