Karrin Allyson - Yuletide Hideaway (2013)

Jazz singer and pianist Karrin Allyson is having a great year. She topped the category Rising Star– Female Vocalist in the 2013 DownBeat Critics Poll, and now she has delivered a sterling holiday album that fans will turn to year after year when the time comes to hang the mistletoe. For the cohesive, so- phisticated Yuletide Hideaway she wisely utilized the compositional talents of her bandmates. The title track, which has the feel of a holiday standard, was written by Allyson and keyboardist Chris Caswell, while “Christmas Bells Are Ringing” (which the sing- er composed with guitarist Rod Fleeman) is spiced by her graceful scatting.