There's something about easy-swinging jazz on a rainy day - or two dismally rainy days in a row, as the case has been here - and while some critics have said that Toronto native Emilie-Claire Barlow's "Haven't We Met" lacks passion, I'd counter that it's the perfect accompaniment for a romantic rainy afternoon.

Covering a wide range of love-infused songs from "All I Do is Dream of You" to "You Make Me Feel So Young," Barlow's elegant diction and pitch-perfect singing more than make up for a slight lack of oomph in her ability to belt out a melody.

Barlow is equally at home with uptempo swingers ("You're Driving Me Crazy!") or sultry blues-jazz (covers of Mel Torme's "Comin Home Baby" and Louis Jordan's "Is You Is or Is You Isn't My Baby?"), and shows a flair for bossa nova in "La Vem a Baina."

"Haven't We Met" is a fine set of standards from one of Canada's best jazz singers. For more, visit Barlow's Web site. To hear samples from the album, visit Amazon.com.

Sussex Countian