These are not the cool, sophisticated old chestnuts by the likes of Cole Porter, nor are they the romantic bossa nova songs of Salvador Poe, but are, instead, nine deceptively simple, very intimate songs by Lisa Ekdahl herself. If her voice lost its cool reserve on, "Sings Salvador Poe," a very welcomed change, on this CD, the romantic intimacy has gone one step further; seeming at times to be confiding, even whispering into the listener's ear all the ideals, concerns, desires and hopes that are part of her vulnerability and openness, those things that are the source of her creativity and gentle strength.I always seem to be putting this CD on after listening to the news, when I am in maximum us and them mode; carrying a lot of frustration and fury over the ceaseless loop of random violence and economic and environmental destruction. It never fails that, as frustrated as I am, "Give Me That Slow Knowing Smile," manages to somehow wash me into an almost alpha state of acceptance, equilibrium and just plain good will. Ekdahl's voice is, to me, like a tremulous flame that just burns all that other stuff away...and I feel like that soft, open place is a very good place to be."One Life," is the pearl of these nine songs, and it gives me goose bumps every time I listen to it. this is a real jewel of a song and it seems to hold the very heart of Lisa Ekdahl within its sunlit layers of sound. Check it out by linking to it from her videos at her website. The music on the CD is more polished and complete than the video, but you will get to hear all the lyrics, not just the few lines of the Amazon sample. "One Life" has become my auditory panacea to that loop of bad news that I feel compelled to check out a few times a day. The music just finds some empathetic vibration in me, making what might be exotic nuances just so intimate, warm, and reassuring....well, go listen to it a few times...it is like a hug...and yeah, I can use that.If you have surround sound like I do, you will enjoy the layering of instruments and voices; its transparency, its clarity. It has a lightness that lends itself to the honest emotion of both Ekdahl's voice and words. It sounds simple, but more than that, it is perfect and it makes me literally smile.I had really worried, when I read that Ekdahl and her husband, the former Salvador Poe (Paul DiBartolo), had divorced. I was certainly hoping for another album like "Sings Salvador Poe," but I am far more than happy with, "Give Me That Slow Knowing Smile," I am literally charmed by it. I wouldn't call it rock or pop, though; is there a separate heading for delicious and delightful listening? How about music that modifies the caustic attitude?How about music that seems like a gift just for me?