One of the monumental musical events of the year, With Every Breath I Take unites the combined talents of conductor Jules Buckley, the sprawling Metropole Orkest, and generational vocal phenom Cécile McLorin Salvant. Marking a stunning pivot in her trajectory, Salvant sets aside the expected path following the self-penned variety of 2025’s Oh Snap, the intense chanson storytelling of Mélusine (2023), and the bold, eclectic boundaries of Ghost Song (2022). Diving headfirst into the musical theater and film songbooks, she embraces a set of accessible, well-known pieces, interpreting and completely redefining them. This masterful orchestral release seems destined to broaden her unparalleled legend.

Where standard tribute albums risk falling into predictable coziness, With Every Breath I Take breathes spectacular, dramatic life into traditional stage works. Backed by Darcy James Argue’s moody, intricate arrangements, Salvant treats these selections as high-stakes theater. On Sondheim's "Being Alive" (from his 1970 Broadway musical Company) and "Send in the Clowns" (A Little Night Music, 1973), she bypasses simple romanticism, injecting a sharp, vulnerable bite that lays bare the isolation inherent in the lyrics. The Metropole Orkest responds beautifully under Jules Buckley's baton, swelling with cinematic scale on the title track and matching her hushed intimacy on the 1930's Billy Strayhorn standard "Lush Life".

The standout track though is her interpretation of Kurt Weil and Bertolt Brecht's "Barbara Song", from the 1928 play "The Threepenny Opera", as her captivating vocal captures this cynical cabaret piece that parodies bourgeois morality.

Her single original song in this set,"Left Over" (previously recorded for her 2015 album "For One To Love"), follows seamlessly, ahead of "Ever Since The One I Love's Been Gone". In the former she wonders "...if he knows how much I care for him " and in the latter confides, " I'm like a king without his throne, Ever since the one I love's been gone."

Adding depth and timeless sophistication to the programme, Salvant pairs "Les Parapluies de Cherbourg" (from the 1964 Michele Legrand musical film) and Noel Coward's "I'll See You There", a song of yearning (from the 1929 Operetta "Bitter Sweet").

By anchoring her brilliant vocal range within this lush, orchestral landscape, Salvant doesn’t just cover these timeless classics - she completely reshapes their emotional landscapes, delivering a definitive masterpiece.