Kat Edmonson at Knickerbocker Café

KNICKERBOCKER CAFE

Back in 2002, Randy Jackson, the American Idol judge who proves himself a nimrod on a weekly basis, gave Kat Edmonson some feedback: "You just don't look like a star, dog." The Texas singer had made the first round of the show's hurdles, invited to the Hollywood section of the eliminations. But that's as far as she got. All for the best, perhaps? These days Edmonson is catching a sizable buzz for her skills as a jazz singer; the Boston Globe said that she's one of the most talented vocalists to come along since Cassandra Wilson. Her Take To the Sky (Convivium) is a nifty little record, trawling both pop (the Cure's "Just Like Heaven") and jazz ("Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most"). The program is simultaneously familiar and unique. The arrangements are novel without being off-putting; the singer's voice is idiosyncratic without being bizarre. Maybe the Globe was talking about individualism. That's what you'll hear when you get to the Knickerbocker Café, 35 Railroad Avenue, Westerly. Keep an ear out for saxophonist John Ellis, a key part of her sextet. He's one of the hottest young horn players in New York. Pat Mitchell opens at 7 pm | $20 | 401.596.4225 Filed under: MUSIC