Amazon.com It's such a natural idea, it could start a whole new trend. With arrangements and accompaniment by Cuban jazz pianist Roberto Carcassés, Selma Reis interprets classic romantic boleros of Cuba through the heart and smoky voice of a Brazilian chanteuse. Reis and Carcassés toss out the lush excesses of the original versions of familiar songs by Beny Moré, Adolfo Guzmán, and others to create a quiet but no less emotionally charged space. Born in the small city of São Goncalo near Rio de Janeiro, Reis recorded her eponymous first album in 1987 after studying vocal techniques in Nantes, France. The Air of Havana dares an unexpected, smoldering rendition of the Miguelito Valdés-Desi Arnaz signature tune "Babalu," which comes off like a whispered invitation to a lover, while Silvio Rodriguez's "Oh, Melancolia" treats us to the ghost of a Judy Garland who circumvented the rainbow altogether. Carcassés's musical direction is as flawless as Reis's voice, and the ambiance carries the stamp of Havana's Egrem Studio, where the Buena Vista Social Club was recorded. --Bob Tarte