Jane Monheit’s 11th CD will drop on April 17. Released by eMarcy/Decca Records, The Heart of the Matter is the singer’s 12-track homage to great songwriters from a variety of genres. Tunes range from The Beatles’ “Golden Slumbers/The Long And Winding Road” to Buffy St. Marie’s “Until It’s Time For You To Go” to Ivan Lins’ “Depende de Nos.” Monheit concludes the album with her take on the Sesame Street classic, “Sing,” a song she often sings for her young son Jack. In addition, The Heart of the Matter contains “Night Night Stars,” the first song’s Monheit’s recorded on which she wrote both the words and music. The album’s release will be accompanied by select tour dates worldwide.

“This album is really different from my last,” Monheit says. “I knew it was time for the focus of a project to be lyrical interpretation. Over the years, it’s become the most important part of my approach to music. The songs were chosen just for that reason. … I didn’t worry about genre or style—just that each song dealt with a message I wanted to share or story I wanted to tell.”

The Heart of the Matter was produced and arranged by Gil Goldstein, and recorded this past November at Avatar Studios in New York City. The CD features Michael Kanan on piano, Goldstein on electric piano and accordion, Romero Lubambo on acoustic guitar, Neal Miner on bass, Rick Montalbano on drums, Rogerio Boccato on percussion, David Eggar and Richard Locker on cello, Barry Crawford and Kathleen Nester on alto flute and Sheryl Henze on bass flute and C flute.

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