The jazz singer shows her linguistic range on The Absence, handling English, French, and Portuguese with ease and élan. Sprightly acoustic guitar, spirited percussion, and lush strings are smartly arranged by Gardot’s producer and collaborator, the composer Heitor Pereira. But the focus throughout remains on her voice, whether it’s purring with vintage cabaret attitude (“Goodbye”) or keeping a beat afloat (“Mira"). The ballads are standouts, too, as “My Heart Won’t Have It Any Other Way” and “La Vie en rose” amply demonstrate.