Jane Olivor: Safe Return

Chanteuse Jane Olivor specializes in love songs; not the first-flowering-of-romance variety, but tunes about a deep and abiding passion that has lasted years and seeks renewal every so often. Olivor's trembling, rapturous style on Safe Return, an elegant concert performance, can however render songs such as "You" and "Let's Make Some Memories" choppy, tuneless, and even a little ludicrous. But she achieves grace notes on "The Last Time I Felt Like This" (originally a duet with Johnny Mathis) and the autobiographical "Brooklyn Roads." Spare but poignant orchestral backing helps "Stay the Night" express a powerful loneliness, while John Denver's "Annie's Song" is transformed from a sweet waltz into a somber promise of commitment. Presented in DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1, the disc also features a half-hour shy interview with Olivor. Optional. Aud: P. (T. Keogh)