At the tender age of 20, New York vocalist Jane Monheit was the first runner-up in the 1998 Theolonius Monk Institute vocal competition, winning a $10,000 scholarship to further her musical education. Judges couldn't exactly place her sound, which blended natural elegance with potent, yet impressively controlled presentation, and by 2000 Monheit had joined Diana Krall as one of the highest touted female talents in jazz. That May she signed to N-Coded and released her debut, and LP entitled Never Neverland. Angelic and conservative, Monheit's structured set of ten popular standards illustrated her still-emerging vocal talents. Come Dream with Me arrived in 2001; it consisted of several standards as well as a few lesser known jazz compositions. The album wasn't as widely praised as her debut, but her growth as a performer was still evident. In the Sun followed in 2002 and Taking a Chance on Love in 2004; in 2005 Monheit returned with a best-of and a seasonal effort. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide