If Carmen Lundy were only a singer, This Is Carmen Lundy would warrant her a place in any jazz collection. She uses her richly burnished voice commandingly and with great flair. Yet the truth is that Carmen is so much more than just a jazz singer, albeit a very good one. She's also a gifted composer; all the songs on this album are her own and all display rounded and mature talent. Accompanied by a first class gathering of mostly New York-based instrumentalists, including Anthony Wonsey, Ralph Peterson, Bobby Watson and brother Curtis Lundy, Carmen sings eloquently, interpreting the lyrics with depth and passion. There is much to appreciate in the lyrics, ranging as they do through ballads of love lost and newly found to songs of hope and desire. Carmen Lundy has such powerful aural presence that her place in the pantheon of committed jazz singers is already assured. This album can only enhance her status. --Bruce Crowther