Andrea Axelrod

Robert Windeler
It would take a daring performer with solid and wide-ranging singing chops and a sense of humor to pull off an effective and memorable tribute to six major musical artists from the last century in a one-hour show. Fortunately for us in the audience, Andrea Axelrod was more than up to this task in Centenary,...

Rachel Ulanet

Penelope Thomas
The theme Rachel Ulanet explored in her solo debut at Feinstein's/54 Below was her quest for integrity at a politically conflicted time; it centered around the third song in the set, Neil Young's "Heart of Gold." This was Young's only U.S. #1 single; interestingly, it was recorded at a time when a back injury pushed him...

Marcos Valle

Mark Dundas Wood
Brazilian songwriter, singer, and keyboardist Marcos Valle has been an international musical presence since the early 1960s. Looking at displays of his album covers online, you can trace his march of time. There's Valle, just a kid—bright-eyed, clean-cut, and turtle-necked. And there he is a few years later, propped up shirtless in a bed—his hair...

Mark Anthony Lee

Gerry Geddes
For his debut at The Triad, singer Mark Anthony Lee chose a tried-and-true staple of cabaret: songs sung by his favorite singers and recording artists. But this was by no means a run-of-the-mill soul/R&B concert. He didn't sing the usual hits, but instead made unexpected choices from deep in these artists' repertoires—album tracks that had...

Spencer Day

Gerry Geddes
Singer-songwriter Spencer Day has begun a once-a-month residency at The Green Room 42 in celebration of his new CD, Angel City, which, as you might guess, is a tribute to and contemplation of Los Angeles. Given that premise, it is fitting that the overall feel of the show is very '60s/'70s West Coast jazz. The...

The Circus Is Cancelled

Gerry Geddes
One of the rare joys of cabaret reviewing (and cabaret going, for that matter) is coming upon a show that is unlike anything else that’s out there—a new and unexpected experience. The Circus Is Cancelled, which played recently at the Duplex, is one such show. It featured a clown, a mime, a magician, a pianist,...

Natalie Douglas

Robert Windeler
Ella Fitzgerald was arguably the premier female jazz and pop singer of the mid-20th century, certainly when it came to recordings and perhaps in live performance as well. Natalie Douglas clearly thinks so, and she made a very strong case for that premise in her recent remarkable Fitzgerald tribute show at Birdland. At the top...

Whitney Chapman

Mark Dundas Wood
There's a straightforward, almost conversational quality to Whitney Chapman's vocals that works well for some of the mid-tempo and up-tempo songs in her Burt Bacharach/Hal David show (directed by Barry Kleinbort) at Don't Tell Mama—especially on songs with lyrics about everyday concerns, such as waking up and applying makeup or putting a hundred down to...

Sierra Rein

Robert Windeler
The title of Sierra Rein's show at the Laurie Beechman Theatre is a deliberately ironic misnomer: Running in Place (directed by James Beaman) actually celebrates—in fine style—her arrival at a long-delayed finish line. Striding onto the stage in a tight-fitting black cocktail dress and high heels, Rein makes it clear she's totally in command of...

Brad Simmons and Lennie Watts

Mark Dundas Wood
I'm not certain I fully understand the point of the musical genre "Blue-Eyed Soul," which is essentially a nickname for soul music (and/or Rhythm & Blues) sung by white people. The term was reportedly coined by an African-American deejay at a radio station in Philadelphia who wanted to subtly inform his listeners that certain of the...