It’s been five years since the Portland, Ore. pop-lounge ensemble Pink Martini issued its top-selling Hang on Little Tomato, a contemporary-vintage collection that appealed to the sophisticated cocktail set without being the least bit stuffy. Swanky, lush and, above all, fun, Pink Martini continues to appeal to the last generation of CD buyers with its latest release, Splendor in the Grass. Chanteuse China Forbes channels the down-tempo elegance of a Cesária Évora on the exotic opener “Ninna Nannah.”
Straying across international borders once again, the group takes their dejeuner sur l’herbe for the slinky cabaret number “Ou Est Ma Tete.” Les Baxter-style jungle juke gets the party hopping on “Ohayoo Ohio” and “Tuca Tuca,” each surefooted jive spurred on by a Herb Alpert-calibre brass section. It’s an ideal background party mix with a kitschy cool “Girl from Ipanema” twist.
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