*** Patricia Barber

COMPANION

(Premonition/Blue Note)

A couple of albums ago (Café Blue, 1997), Barber favored drifting free tempos, open harmonies, and soaring vocal high notes. But last year's hit Modern Cool marked a transformation from dream angel to smoky noir cabaret chanteuse -- guitarist John McLean's flamenco acoustic guitar became all Scofield-electric tart, the arrangements spiced the atmospherics with rhythm, and Barber, rather than floating into the ether, got right down near your ear and purred.

Companion, recorded live at Barber's home base at the Chicago club the Green Mill, is more focused still -- at 46 minutes, it's the portable Modern Cool (she reprises two of that CD's tunes) and even riper for crossover, with covers of "The Beat Goes On" and "Black Magic Woman." It's minimalist throughout: acoustic bass, hand drums, McLean's guitar, and Barber's Hammond B3 providing musically apt but spooky dissonant effects, Barber's voice hanging in the lower register and sneaking in behind the beat with lyrics that are almost too clever ("If this isn't jazz/Then it will have to do/Until the real thing comes along"). It's a band album as much as vocal album, which is why the covers work as well as the ripping piano trio tribute to Jacky Terrasson.

-- Jon Garelick