Despite the wildly differing treatments, ranging from the sumptuous orchestral setting of Johnny Mercer’s title track (from Dear Ella) to the intimate ‘L’Hymne à l’Amour’ (previously released as a bonus track in Japan on the singer’s all-French album J’ai Deux Amours), the 11 tracks of Midnight Sun hang together remarkably well. Set up to perfection by James Carter’s lazily snaking bass clarinet intro, the skip-proof collection of Bridgewater’s finest ballad interpretations includes ‘Good Morning Heartache’ from her 2010 Grammy-winning album Eleanora Fagan (1915-1959): To Billie With Love From Dee Dee, a captivating ‘Angel Eyes’ (one of three tracks from Keeping Tradition), plus classic interpretations of ‘Speak Low’, ‘I’m A Fool To Want You’/‘I Fall In Love Too Easily’ and Horace Silver’s ‘Lonely Woman’. Produced by Dee Dee’s daughter and manager, Tulani Bridgewater-Kowalski, and the fourth release on Bridgewater’s own label, DDB Records, this remembrance of love songs past is as heart-warming a collection as you’ll hear all year.