Cambridge, MA singer/songwriter Patty Giurleo has a dulcet voice and a talent for crafting memorable pop hooks. Ensemble, her second CD, shifts from swaying soft rock reminiscent of Natalie Merchant or Joni Mitchell to straightforward jazz standards like "I Fall In Love Too Easily". Album opener "The Winner Loses All" sounds like a smooth jazz arrangement of a Suzanne Vega song; its lyrics about a powerful man who loses everything in a conflagration of "bankruptcy, booze and heroin" sets the tone for the album. Giurleo writes about loss and regret with an acuity that raises her songs above the level of typical sad pop pabulum. "I Love You So I Leave You Alone" is sung from the point of view of a possible stalker-to-be, but Giurleo"s heartbroken performance wrings pathos from words that could have been merely creepy. The backing band, made up mostly of jazz musicians, offer up breezy pop accompaniment that adds real poignancy and depth to Giurleo"s stories. The lilting arrangement of "Galliano" serves to buoy the song"s downcast melody and lyrics. A version of "My Foolish Heart" ends the set with just Giurleo"s beautiful voice and a bittersweet acoustic guitar. At final count, nearly every track on Ensemble is as emotionally affecting as Giurleo probably hopes, and a good half of the album sticks in your head with no trouble at all.-- Scott Jacobson