The Men In My Life

by Scott YanowJackie Allen has a warm voice and a wide interest in musical styles. The basic plot for The Men in My Life was that Allen pays tribute to the men in her life, the musical influences and inspirations rather than the personal ones. Although quite capable of singing jazz standards, she really stretches herself on this set, not only in her repertoire (which along the way includes songs by Paul Simon, Burt Bacharach, and Sting) but in the style, which ranges from relatively straight-ahead jazz to pop. The arrangements contain some surprises, and Kurt Elling makes a welcome guest appearance on "The Bad and the Beautiful." One needs a bit of an open mind toward pop and rock music, but having that, these interpretations by the Chicago-based Allen are easy to take and quite creative.