This is Kim Prevost and Bill Solley doing what they do best—a dazzling array of skillfully crafted, technically flawless vocal/guitar duets that take familiar standards into mind-bending uncharted territory. Having unloaded that piece of pompous pedantry, I have to confess to spending more time than I intended on this review, for the simple reason that it’s tough to put these guys in a box.

They’re both superb musicians. They’re into the kind of modern jazz you don’t hear much in New Orleans. And they’ve got their own way of doing things, to the point where you need to listen for a while to really get into what’s happening.

Solley is one of a number of progressive New Orleans guitarists who’ve gone to the seven string format. In most cases, you won’t hear the difference. That’s because if it’s an ensemble that includes a bass, as most do, that extra low pitched string needs to be kept out of the way.

Kim is also a superb technician, but her voice has strong emotional impact as well. She seems to pick up where Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald left off. You’ll also hear other influences in her singing, including the touch of gospel you’d expect from a minister’s daughter. Overall, the Kim and Bill combo come through with what’s truly important. They swing.

The songs on this disc are standards that most of us know fondly and well; “Them There Eyes,” “S’Wonderful,” “Willow Weep For Me,” the title tune “Just In Time,” Peggy Lee’s “I Don’t Know Enough About You,” that kind of thing. I’ll bet, though, you won’t do much singing along with this duo. There’s too much going on. They may do more twisting, shaping, and restructuring of well known pop material than anyone since, well, perhaps since the Boswell sisters.

There are other surprises here. The Beatles’ “Hard Day’s Night” gets an unexpected modern jazz treatment. The one guitar solo is John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps.”

While most of this CD was produced at Kim and Bill’s Louisiana home base, there are two tracks, “Dearly Beloved” and “Speak Low,” recorded live at the Umbria Jazz Festival in Perugia, Italy. They will be back there again this year, their third in a row. This compact disc was issued in Italy, but you can get it at Kim’s web site: www.kimprevost.com.