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Sparkling Jazz 2 (CD) Various Artists

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If you're unsure whether or not you're a jazz fan, a two-disc compilation of 32 light-hearted classics may help you decide.

Following the debut of its first jazz album a year ago, EMI packs even more well-known hits into the second album, ranging from the all-too-familiar theme song from summer blockbuster Inception and Stacey Kent's What a Wonderful World, to Olivia Ong's First of May and Jason Mraz's Rainbow Connection.

The album is a great starting point for jazz newbies to explore from. Some of the tracks are not so much traditional jazz as popular tunes with a jazzy vibe. This is a minor setback, but it's outweighed by the variety and uplifting quality of songs.

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The opening track is Edith Piaf's Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien ('No, I regret nothing' in French), an elegantly phrased, spirited tune which features heavily in Inception. Other top picks include Kei Kobayashi's I Concentrate on You and But Not for Me by Natalie Merchant, which show off the singers' natural storytelling style. These are superbly accompanied by percussion, saxophones and rich-sounding piano solos.

Mraz and Piaf may be the biggest names here, but there are plenty of other singers giving touching interpretations of jazz standards.

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