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Artist: Jackie Allen

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Jackie Allen:

Tangled

Blue Note Records debut-and eighth CD. Allen joins a stable of pioneering female vocalists: Cassandra Wilson, Norah Jones,
Patricia Barber, Dianne Reeves Soundscapes that pay homage to standards and originals

Crossing over for a singer whose foundation resounds jazz was a relatively rare phenomenon back in 1994 when Jackie Allen recorded her debut album, Never Let Me Go. However, that didn't dissuade her from finding common ground between the jazz and pop music worlds. Twelve years later, with Tangled, her remarkable Blue Note Records debut-and eighth CD overall-Allen continues to explore soundscapes that pay homage to both standby and contemporary standards while crafting originals that richly complement the covers. With Blue Note, Allen joins a stable of pioneering female vocalists-Cassandra Wilson, Norah Jones, Patricia Barber, Dianne Reeves-who appeal to both adult-oriented music camps.

"My tastes in music now are not that much different than when I began to record"," says Allen, who lives in Indiana and has a strong base in Chicago, "although I wasn't quite as adventurous then as I am now."

Writing in JazzTimes of her two earlier albums (2003's The Men in My Life and 2004's Love Is Blue, both on the now-defunct A440 label and that have been purchased by Blue Note), Christopher Loudon remarked, "As hybrids go, Allen is a rare breed. Her firm roots are clearly folk-rock...but they are wedded to a keen jazz sensibility." His assessment of Love Is Blue, which ranges from a tune associated with Frank Sinatra to a number by Annie Lennox? "Dazzling."