Basia said there was a lot of talent onstage at the Dakota Jazz Club Wednesday night. Not only was she right but, quite frankly, she may have been the least talented person on the stage.Her backup quartet was splendid, and her backup singers, twins Veronique and Annick Clarisse, were stellar. Brazil-loving Basia and her talented cast combined for a satisfying evening of samba-seasoned cocktail jazz.

Tuesday was opening night of a U.S. tour to promote Basia's first studio album (2009's "It's That Girl Again") in 15 years (plus she has a new live album due this fall). By Wednesday, the kinks had been worked out, and it was a crisp 90-minute performance.

Musically, the Polish-bred, London-based Basia, 56, resides in the intersection of samba, soul, pop and jazz, in top-notch arrangements by her longtime collaborator, keyboardist Danny White. She croons, scats, coos and adores Brazilian music. But her range is limited, her upper register a bit thin; hence, she used the wonderful Clarisse sisters to buoy and boost her efforts. It was a savvy strategy.

As she promised when she plugged the talent of her players, Basia gave ample opportunity for the musicians to solo, including fine new acoustic guitarist Giorgio Serci from Italy and the multilingual Clarisse twins singing in Japanese.

The set list featured seven of the 10 tunes from Basia's popular 1987 debut "Time and Tide," including the hit title track that made her a favorite on adult-contemporary radio back when there was such a format. She also offered a three-song medley from "It's That Girl Again" (only her fourth studio album) that suggested that her sound hasn't changed much over all these years.

Although it's been about six years since Basia last performed in the Twin Cities (with her other project, Matt Bianco), she will return Sunday for two more shows at the Dakota.

Here is Wednesday's set list:

Yearning/ If Not Now Then When> Love Lies Bleeding > I Must (medley of tunes from her new album "It's That Girl Again" / Drunk on Love/ Third Time Lucky/ A Gift/ Astrud/ New Day for You/ How Dare You/ From Now On/ Baby You're Mine/ Cruising for Bruising/ Miles Away/ Time & Tide/ Copernicus ENCORE Half a Minute/ Promises