Karrin Allyson Footprints CD

Personnel: Karrin Allyson (vocals, piano, shaker); Karrin Allyson; Bruce Barth (piano, Fender Rhodes piano); Peter Washington (upright bass); Jon Hendricks (vocals, whistling); Nancy King (vocals); Frank Wess (flute, tenor saxophone); Nick Phillips (trumpet); Todd Strait (drums).
Audio Mixer: Josiah Gluck.
Liner Note Authors: Karrin Allyson; Chris Caswell; Paul De Barros.
Recording information: Fantasy Studios, Berkley, CA (09/24/2005-10/18/2005); Sear Sound Studios, New York, NY (09/24/2005-10/18/2005).
Photographers: Lisa Stein; Randee Saint Nicholas.
Arrangers: Karrin Allyson; Bruce Barth.
A fixture on the vocal jazz scene since the early 1990s, Karrin Allyson delivers more spirited scatting and lush balladry on 2006's FOOTPRINTS. Guest vocalists Nancy King and Jon Hendricks play a prominent role throughout, and the number of duets gives the album a distinctive flavor. ("Everybody's Boppin'," a track on which all three appear, is a highlight). Yet FOOTPRINTS is still Allyson's show, with her sophisticated phrasing and smooth tone taking center stage. The album comes recommended to fans of mainstream and contemporary vocal jazz.
Vocalist Karrin Allyson has been making waves on the mainstream jazz scene since the '90s, which leaves fans eagerly awaiting new collections like Footprints. While the album features a number of things that fans have come to expect -- good songs, scat singing, and fine vocals -- Footprints also adds a number of guest spots to sweeten the package. Most notably, Allyson is joined by vocalists Nancy King and Jon Hendricks for duets on about half of the songs, and on "Everybody's Boppin'," all three join in the fun. Allyson and King's vocals styles intertwine easily on "All You Need to Say (Never Say Yes)," one of the high points of the album. They also turn in a fine, relaxed take on John Coltrane and Chris Caswell's "A Long Way to Go (Equinox)." Allyson's lighter tone also reflects well with Hendricks' deeper, granular approach on "Strollin'." All three really cut loose on "Everybody's Boppin'," an upbeat bit of nonsense that had to be difficult to record no matter how much fun it sounds. Footprints only downside is that the set list and approach, while always tasteful, is too evenly paced and tame; at times, it follows its mainstream jazz predecessors too closely. Fans who have enjoyed Allyson's early work, however, will embrace the album warmly. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr.Entertainment Weekly (p.75) - "[T]he singers, with assists from pianist Bruce Barth and others, set the words aloft." -- Grade: B
Down Beat (p.70) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "She stays within herself to create an organic approach that makes her singing -- as well as the new words -- sound like a natural evolution of the source material."