Karrin Allyson can sing just about anything and make it sound like she invented it: French ballads, Brazilian sambas, Coltrane, the blues — and in her 2004 album Wild For You, a medley of classic pop songs indelibly associated with their original interpreters, like Roberta Flack's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," Joni Mitchell's "Help Me" and James Taylor's "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight." A brave project, perhaps, but with her silky voice and impeccable jazz instincts, Allyson makes these standards her own. If you're looking for a failsafe Valentine's date, either of her concerts in Tampa or St. Pete should be a slam dunk. Wild for You — A Jazz Valentine, Mon., Feb. 13, 8 p.m., Tampa Theatre, 711 Franklin St., $20 general/$16 seniors/$10 students, 813-274-8982; Tues., Feb. 14, 7:30 p.m., Palladium Theater, 253 Fifth Ave. N., $20, 727-822-3590.
This article appears in Feb 8-14, 2006.