Thunderbird
With a series of terrific albums, Cassandra Wilson has established herself as one of the day's great vocalists and, in branching out from jazz into blues and folk and pop, paved the way for genre-crossing stars including Norah Jones. But the Mississippi native has rarely sounded as relaxed or winning as she does on "Thunderbird," which teams her with the stalwartO Brother Where Art Thou?producer T Bone Burnett. Recorded mostly in Los Angeles, the album is noteworthy not only for its roomy, atmospheric sound and experimental touches, but also for its improvised-in-the-studio approach.  Working with innovative Burnett regulars including keyboardist (and co-producer) Keefus Ciancia, guitarist Marc Ribot, and drumming legend Jim Keltner, Wilson delivers such offbeat delights as "Going to Mexico," a dreamlike, funk-tinged tune built on a sample of "Hey Pocky A-Way" by New  Orleans' Wild Tchoupitoulas. Eschewing the well-known pop tunes she usually covers, she lends her huskily seductive vocals to Jakob Dylan's wistful "Closer to You" and Burnett's dark "Strike a Match," to which she claimed co-ownership by changing the time signature and adding a lyric. The inspired contributors also include programmer and bassist Mike Elizondo (producer of Fiona Apple's "Extraordinary Machine") and guitarist Colin Linden, who wails on a gripping extended reading of Blind Lemon Jefferson's "Easy Rider" and duets with Wilson on the cowboy classic "Red River Valley," which eloquently sums up her ability to breathe jazz meaning into anything she chooses.--Lloyd Sachs