michael thibault photo/the ubyssey

Walking into the Telus Studio Theatre in the Chan Centre can be a magical thing. The lights are dimmed and the setting is intimate—a perfect place for the jazz-pop artist Ali Milner to show us what she’s made of.

As the spotlight goes on, she sits alone at the piano and immediately begins serenading the audience with her soulful voice and impressive piano work. The crowd seems to be put in a trance. Taking advantage of the effect, the rest of her band creeps on stage and begins to power into the groove-heavy reggae inspired song, “I Wanna Be Loved By You,” and keeps the momentum going for the rest of the show.

Milner takes the audience on an impressive journey through boogie-woogie, soulful ballads with orchestral arrangements, rock ‘n’ roll, R&B, show tunes, old school—she does it all.

Fans of Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Liza Minelli and other classic artists would be pleased to hear her as she integrates many elements of these artists into her own sound. Much of the audience was drawn from a 30-plus crowd, but those of you who want to take a break from your iPod indie rock play lists will be well rewarded, because talent is timeless.