Customer Reviews

Wild for You

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Karrin Allyson is as the NY Times says a "gifted" vocalist and this CD proves it. Her greatest strength is the melancholy standard. Her "Too Young to Go Steady" (on an earlier CD) reinvented that song. Like any true artist, she likes to stretch her wings. On many of her CDs she makes admirable attempts to sing the blues, but she isn't convincing as a blues singer. In this new CD she brings fresh air to oldish standards. These are not covers. They are attempts to make oldish songs new. In most songs she succeeds, but in others the attempt comes close to reinvention but fails. My sense is that she and her record company need to capitalize on her strength with the sad song and stop trying to make her into something she isn't. In the end what audiences long for is authenticity. Nevertheless I like this CD and find it something different from re-warmed, tired, jazz standards, and therefore refreshing. If you have the chance to see Karrin Allyson sing in person I urge you to do it. She is an aluring performer just coming into her own.

This CD was my introduction to Karrin Allyson. My initial impressions of her vocally are what Carly Simon may have sounded like had she been more inclined to jazz. What you get here is jazzy takes on 70s pop songs..all covers.

There are pitfalls when one sings covers: Slavish remakes that don't lend anything new to the song, bizarre reinvention sheerly for the sake of originality, and material the artist loves personally that doesn't fit their voice or style. To her credit, Ms. Allyson avoids them and ends up making a pretty good album that lets you hear some weathered classics as though they were new. Even when they're not great, they're at least credible and fresh.

HIGHLIGHTS:
I've always thought of "Don't Let me Lonely Tonight" as a lesser hit among James Taylor's work, but Allyson's melancholy rendition may make me rethink that notion now. It reminds me a bit of a Vince Guaraldi track and has a nice, spare standup bass solo. Old Elton John song "Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word" gets a nicely understated take including a sumptuous accordion solo. I'll confess "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" was a new song to me, but I loved it. Allyson sounds the most "Carly Simon-esque" on this one.

LOWS:
The title track never really gets to the bluesy heart of Raitt's song...it's not salacious and smoldering enough. Raitt sounded like she was gonna rip her man's clothes off the instant she saw him. "Mind on my Man" is a lovely vocal in service of a fairly mediocre song. "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Love" is completely limp musically and Allyson doesn't really add any vocal firepower to it. If there was a song on here that requires a "diva" vocal, this one's it. No one's gonna forget about Flack's version after hearing Allyson's.

BOTTOM LINE:
Jazz lovers who also enjoy good singer-songwriter material will probably like the cherry-picked best of this and would do well to search the online services to buy the tracks they like. Fans of 70s pop who aren't necessarily jazz lovers might find this a nice step outside their usual listening parameters. Allyson's voice is wonderful and I intend to seek out other CDs from her (and I'll probably try and find the best tracks from this on iTunes or something similar) but this one failed to grab me overall.

I read through the other reviewers comments, and I agree with them for the most part. The Joni Mitchell covers, in my opinion, are the most lively, and show obvious love and reverence for the material. And they swing. Joni Mitchell is such a distinctive artist, she is very hard to cover, and Karrin pulls it off. "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" . . actually would not have been out of place on one of Karrin's earlier recordings.
But, I agree that most of the material is pretty tired, and it if I never heard the original of "It's too late" or "Wild World" again, it would be too soon. So covers of these songs are pretty painful to listen to.
My main reason for the review . . is to plug Karrin's CD 'Ballads', which is a masterpiece, brilliantly conceived and executed. If you want to own one Karrin Allyson CD, buy that one. It's dark and dreamy . . . and accomplishes what many would have thought impossible . . . a vocal artist's homage to John Coltrane.

I am one who believes that Karrin Allyson's "Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane" is one of the best vocal jazz albums of the new millenium (so far). I'm also one who believes that the period of the '70's, between the breakup of the Beatles and the advent of disco, was one of the golden ages of pop of the 20th century that has been too-long ignored by jazz singers. So, I was thrilled to hear that Ms. Allyson was releasing an album of tunes from that era, and couldn't wait to hear it.

Frankly, I'm a wee bit disappointed. But only a wee bit.

Some of this is great, mind you. For example, Ms. Allyson and her band do Joni Mitchell's "Help Me" in 7/8, and the jagged rhythm enhances the dizzying quality of the song. They do a similar polyrhythmic treatment to Carole King's "It's Too Late", and take the song from the tearful retrospect of the original to a more frantic message of hope's glimmer. My favorite is their straightforward treatment of "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word," which removes Elton John's maudlin tone while adding a wonderful accordion solo from Gil Goldstein (that sounds like Toots Thielemann's harmonica!). Also, perhaps contrary to what you read above, the "funkified beat" of Roberta Flack's "Feel Like Makin' Love" is an improvement on the original.

But not all of it works. Ms. Mitchell's "All I Want" sounds too much like a '70's working of the tune (Ms. Allyson even sounds a wee bit like Ms. King on this one). I prefer Cat Stevens' treatment of "Wild World", frankly; and "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight" likewise isn't an improvement on what isn't one of James Taylor's better tunes. In fact, one thing I wish the band hadn't done was to have so much Fender Rhodes on this album. It seems like the Fender Rhodes was the staple of early '70's pop tunes, and I'd prefer to hear an interpolation, not a recreation, of these tunes.

However, this album again proves that Karrin Allyson is one of the best female jazz singers out there. She is always in control of a very pure instrument. For that reason alone I recommend this; but if you've never heard her, get "Ballads" first. RC

Karrin Allyson's "Wild for You" is an excellent set of fairly familiar pop gems given a creative twist. The opener is probably my very favorite as Allyson has a natural affinity for Joni Mitchell's work. The excitement comes through with Gil Goldstein's insouciant piano punching at the melody as Karrin sighs & sways. Born in Great Bend, Kansas, Allyson bases out of Kansas City. Her second Mitchell track comes from the "Court & Spark" period with the lovely "Help Me," where Mitchell herself began to experiment more with jazz inflections. Allyson communicates the excitement as she quivers on, "I think I'm falling in love too fast." On Melissa Manchester's "I Got Eyes," Allyson is full of sass & swagger, "I want to smother my bad a*s lover with kisses to make him wise, an offer you couldn't refuse." Jimmy Webb's "The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress" has been covered so often that it qualifies as a bona fide standard. Allyson expresses an exquisite sadness through the lyric, "The moon a phantom rose through the mountains & the pines." Allyson does a thorough remake on Carly Simon's "Mind on My Man," making it her own. She is equally successful on Simon's "The Right Thing to Do," making the track contemplative. The last two tracks of songs made famous by Roberta Flack finish this set in fine fashion. "Wild for You" is an excellent set by this fine Kansas City singer, an offer you shouldn't refuse. Enjoy!

How many times have you said to yourself, "I'd really like to hear some of the most overplayed songs from the glorious years of 1970s FM pop music sung by a jazz singer who's trying for a wider audience of boomers who don't listen to jazz?"

Me neither.

Miss Allyson is an outstanding singer and has moments of success squeezing a little life out of these chestnuts. She tries to redeem the dreadful "Feel Like Makin' Love," but, alas, this is a hopeless task. She is unable to find new space within "All I Want" and we a left with a merely capable cover. "I've Got Eyes" sorta works but mostly because of the guitar work.

The musicianship here is excellent. It's a shame to hear it wasted on strangely respectful covers of just-OK songs from a decade that was truly a low point in American popular song.

No, this isn't serious jazz for serious jazz officionados, but I love this CD! It could be that I was a teen in the 70's, so the songs themselves make me smile. It could be that Karrin Allyson's voice is just so incredibly warm and lush and pure. It could be that sometimes I'm just in the mood for something this kinda' silly yet somehow soulful.

I love a good twist on an old song, and in that I think there are a few successes for Karrin in this collection. DON'T LET ME BE LONELY TONIGHT is simple, sweet and wistful, as is SORRY SEEMS TO BE THE HARDEST WORD. I love the jivey jazzy beat attached to FEEL LIKE MAKIN' LOVE. Most of all, a melancholy THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS really reaches right in and grabs me.

Sappy to some, I'm sure, but I love this sweet CD! OH! And have some fun with a funky, flowing IT'S TOO LATE!

This is my first introduction to Karrin Allyson... and I'm going back for more!

Ms. Allyson's latest is made up of covers of some of the most popular pop songs of the 1970's. The work of old favorites such as Joni Mitchell and Carly Simon (two songs each) along with James Taylor, Elton John and Carole King are represented, along with the work of some of the less-popular and/or less well-remembered singer/songwriters from the same era including Melissa Manchester and Jimmy Webb. I tended to enjoy the two Joni Mitchell songs ("All I Want" and "Help Me") the most simply because I'm a great fan of Ms. Mitchell. But to my surprise, Ms. Allyson's cover of Carly Simon's "Mind on My Man" probably is the most catchy and accessible tune on the album. Bottom line: I had a very mixed reaction to "Wild for You." I'd love to hear more covers by Ms. Allyson, but given her somewhat unique singing voice and delivery style, I think she should stick to the more well-known popular standards as she attempts to move further into the mainstream.

I came across Karrin Allyson by a mistake on my part. It all started when someone asked me about a recent cover of Cat Stevens' "Wild World" done by a woman, and it was kinda jazzy. A quick search yielded Ms. Allyson, who did this on her covers album Wild For You. She does it set to standard lounge jazz, which is the format most of the songs are in. Throughout, her pianist and arranger, Gil Goldstein proves to be most prominent and competent of her musicians. All the songs here are from artists of the 1970's, and from some of her favourite artists.

Joni Mitchell and Carly Simon get the honour of having two of their songs covered here. "All I Want" and "Help Me" are the two Mitchell songs. Both have a smidge of pop, but not enough so that the style compares to Swing Out Sister. The latter has a Spanish-type guitar from Danny Embrey and a decent piano solo by Goldstein. The Carly songs are "Mind On My Man" and the supportive "The Right Thing To Do."

A trace of samba tinges her cover of the Elton John classic "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word." Though no one can top the emotional depth Elton does in the "It's sad, so sad" lines, save perhaps Joe Cocker, she gives a good try. The accordion solo here also gives it a French street flavour as well. Melissa Manchester's "I Got Eyes" is given a pronounced samba flavour. Her version of "The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress," could've passed off in the 70's, given the haunting and sad feel to it. I'm a bit split over the version of Carole King's "It's Too Late," as it's one of those tracks that for the most part should be left alone. True, she ratchets the tempo up a bit so it's a tad more bouncy, but that kind of ruins the original intentions of the song.

However, the best track is the graceful and bouncy version of Roberta Flack's "Feel Like Makin' Love" and the following track "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" has a wistful reflective quality to it, thanks to the piano (by Karrin this time) and guitar accompaniment.

Most of the stuff is simply by the numbers smooth jazz, with the talents of Gil Goldstein and guitarists Danny Embrey and Rod Freeman to recommend it. And yes, Karrin sings all right-it's just nothing overly exciting.

The opening story has a bit of an irony. After further research, I learned that it may have been Beth Orton's version of "Wild World" on the How To Deal soundtrack that someone might have heard. Still, maybe I'll come across some of Karrin's better albums should there be a next time.

I heard this recording in the background while dining outside in a lovely wine bar setting. Wow, I thought, good stuff. After downloading this via Amazon, I can now say, it's only "so, so, material". Nothing orginal or creative. I love covers; however, expect the covers to reflect the performing artist's own personality and style. Ms. Allyson just doesn't do it for me, and hey, I live in Kansas City. Overall, I find her vocal work as nothing special and the arrangements to be less than out of the ordinary. I say, if you wish the standards, the classics to be "today" try Holly Cole. Perhaps, Ms. Allyson should also take a listen.