Karrin Allyson

Like all great jazz singers, Karrin Allyson makes it look easy. When she sings, she opens her heart, delivering lyrics as if they were secrets meant for your ears only. “My approach is to be as natural as I can, without trying to copy anyone else,” the singer says from her Manhattan apartment. “I grew up playing classical piano and discovered jazz when I studied at the University of Nebraska. The freedom of jazz appeals to me as a singer. You can swing it, or do it as a samba and interact with other musicians in a discipline full of humor, soul and intellect.”

Allyson’s unique, husky alto brings to mind country singers like Tammy Wynette and Sammi Smith; the voice trembles with emotion, but delivers the goods before the implied breakdown. It’s perfectly suited to the songs on Wild For You, Allyson’s latest collection. Carole King’s “It’s Too Late” emphasizes the heartache over the melody and rides a Mose Allison-esque piano vamp, while she gives Elton John’s “Sorry Seems To Be the Hardest Word” a smoky, piano-bar treatment. “These are some of the songs that made me want to sing,” Allyson says. “Hopefully I’ve given them a little something that makes them my own.”