Karrin Allyson

For former Kansas City jazz chanteuse Karrin Allyson, keeping up with the Norah Joneses can be hard work. Then there are the Kralls, the Connicks and the rest of the contemporary crop of vocalists busily injecting dusty jazz standards with fresh material. It's not that Cole Porter or the Gershwins are passé, but artists like Allyson have found a welcome opportunity in reinterpreting tunes that haven't been done to death. With Wild for You, Allyson calls on songwriters such as James Taylor, Elton John, Joni Mitchell and Carly Simon to help share another side of her performing persona. Allyson imbues Mitchell's "All I Want" with an impish sense of seduction, even if her vocal range can't carry the melodic impact of the original. When Allyson revisits the Canadian songbird's repertoire later on "Help Me," she again shows a solid grasp of Mitchell's delivery while offering a unique interpretation. Allyson also shines on "Feel Like Makin' Love" (think Roberta Flack, not Bad Company), Simon's "It's Too Late" and a quietly swinging rendition of Cat Stevens' "Wild World," dressing each with lilting grace. Allyson could have opened the tunes up a little more, though, allowing the band to stretch out and improvise. The musicians, including Todd Strait, Bob Bowman, Paul Smith, Danny Embrey and Rob Fleeman, could have handled it. That failure might be a calculated move, but it isn't enough to keep Wild for You from being one of Allyson's strongest efforts.