Karrin Allyson

Come for the scat, stay for the ballads. And be taken in by one of the most confident voices in modern jazz singing everything from Brazilian bossa nova to seventies soft rock à la Cat Stevens. While specializing in a Midwestern mix of blues, folk and pop, the versatile Allyson also borrows from genres the world over and makes them her own. She coos with an elegant yet robust style that is the stuff goosebumps are made from; add to that an angelic onstage presence unmatched by her peers. Her latest, Wild For You (out June 8), is a showcase of reworked seventies pop classics from Stevens, Elton John, and Roberta Flack, among others. 1010 Nicollet Ave. S., Minneapolis; (612) 332-1010; www.dakotacooks.com