MATT BIANCO FEATURING BASIA "Matt's Mood" Decca

MATT BIANCO FEATURING BASIA "Matt's Mood"Decca

Matt Bianco is the name of a group, not a person, and the adult-contemporary trio's 1984 debut album, "Whose Side Are You On?," was a platinum smash. That didn't prevent the threesome from splintering before they could even tour together. Basia Trzetrzelewska, the group's female singer, had her eyes on a solo career, and she took Matt Bianco keyboardist Danny White with her to create four albums under the single name Basia. Male singer Mark Reilly recruited a new keyboardist, Mark Fisher, and recorded eight more albums under the Matt Bianco moniker.

Last year Trzetrzelewska, White and Reilly reunited to co-write and co-produce a new Matt Bianco album, "Matt's Mood," and this spring they're touring as a trio for the first time. To call this a jazz album would be to burden it with expectations it's not even trying to meet. "Matt's Mood" is an adult-pop album flavored with jazz, bossa nova and "Quiet Storm" R&B. This is music designed to soothe rather than challenge, and within that context, it does its job with admirable wit and skill.

Trzetrzelewska grew up in Jaworzno, Poland, but her vocal hero was Brazil's Astrud Gilberto, and her silky, three-octave voice works best on such bossa nova numbers as "Ronnie's Samba," "Say the Words" and the first single, "Ordinary Day." Reilly injects mildly troubling lyrics about hurting the one you love and living life on the wrong side of the street. Tasteful pop-jazz solos are provided by White; his brother, guitarist Peter White; and baritone saxophonist Ronnie Ross. Ross, who played on "Whose Side Are You On?," died in the early '90s, but Danny White took three demos they had recorded together and used them as the basis for three songs on the new album.

-- Geoffrey Himes

Appearing Tuesday and Wednesday at the Birchmere. • To hear a free Sound Bite from Matt Bianco Featuring Basia, call Post-Haste at 301-313-2200 and press 8122. (Prince William residents, call 703-690-4110.)