Patricia Barber's Cafe Blue is a landmark in contemporary jazz vocal recording, captured in high fidelity on HDCD. Barber approaches standards and originals with intellectual curiosity and emotional honesty—her piano playing is sophisticated, her voice conversational yet commanding. Tracks stretch across long-form explorations, cutting both close and sharp. The album's intimacy comes from Barber's refusal to perform—instead she inhabits these songs as real questions, real moments. Originally released on smaller labels, quality copies remain sought after. If you appreciate vocalists who think and pianists who sing, this is essential. One of the finest jazz vocal albums of the 1990s.