Lynn Skinner and Vonn Regensburger

Once a fixture on the Denver jazz club scene, singer Lynn Skinner has been keeping her own counsel of late. But Gems in the Rough, a new, self-produced collaboration with guitarist Vonn Regensberger, reaffirms her gift as a versatile stylist with a voice as appealing as old brandy. The material here doesn't break any barriers -- Skinner essays "The Look of Love" and "Only Trust Your Heart," Joni Mitchell's "Help Me" and five Brazilian standards, while adding just one original. But the seductions in her voice (she also teaches and trains young singers) make these evergreens her own, and the lush string arrangements Regensberger employs on half of the tunes provide a lovely sonic cushion. Catch Skinner and Regensberger in a rare public appearance on Saturday, December 14, at Jazz @ Jack's.