JACKIE ALLEN VIDEOS
OUT OF PRINT CDs
“On her Blue Note debut (and eighth recording overall), vocalist Jackie Allen stretches her already crossover approach to where the seams show. Thank God. She is a fine jazz singer and has a way with ballads and standards that is her own to be sure -- and she records a couple of them here -- but her gift with more pop-oriented material is utterly distinctive and even innovative, since there isn't another singer out there who phrases like her.” All Music Guide
“Allen, whose candlelit coziness masks remarkable vocal power and dexterity, suggests Jeri Southern with a soupcon of Cyndi Lauper and a dollop of Eartha Kitt. Nodding to Paul Simon with a lilting "Still Crazy After All These Years," she segues into a buttery "Come Fly With Me," reworked as a sparkling samba, that swaps Sinatra's finger-poppin' swagger for winking suggestiveness. Antonio Carlos Jobim is saluted with a velvety "Dindi," James Taylor's "Mexico" wallows in sun-drenched laziness, Sting's "Tea in the Sahara" escalates from prayerlike solemnity to scorching fervor and Billy Eckstine is honored with a haunted interpretation of "Fools Rush In" that adds a bracing chill to Johnny Mercer's boldly optimistic lyric.” Jazz Times
"In a sudden turn of events, Chicago singer Jackie Allen found herself recording her second album in Los Angeles with seasoned pros she didn't know. The change in scenery and sound served her well - as did the five years since her locally made debut. Asserting her sophisticated musicianship, she comes across as a more fully rounded singer - one who seems incapable of a cliche. Responding to soulful solos by ex-Chicago tenorist Red Holloway and altoist Gary Foster, Allen is breezy but lyrically grounded on the uptempo cuts - her scatting on "My Romance" has uncommon depth. And the ballads - of which Billy Strayhorn's "Day Dream" is a highlight with its wistful, time-shifting, insouciant qualities - have real emotional body." Chicago Sun Times
“For piano/vocal duos to work well, there not only has to be a synergy between the performers, but also a feel for each other that can't be adequately expressed, except you know when it's there and when it's not. This special relationship between the two is in place for this album, and is demonstrated track after track. On a torch song like You Don't Know, the sassy piano and the cheeky vocals are almost one, with an in-your-eye coda that's an accentuated ending to a fine album. One of the more compelling tracks is the Thelonious Monk medley, which Roberts opens with a sonata-like Mysterioso before Allen comes in to give a personal expression to Bernie Hanighen's lyrics to Round Midnight. This track is a heart stopper.” All Music Guide
Never Let Me Go was Jackie’s first release in 1994 on the Lake Shore label. It charted in the top 20 of the Gavin Charts for 13 weeks. An auspicious debut.