CHICAGO
- MIDWEST CABARET REVIEWS
KEELY
NICOLE SINGS RADIO HOUR AT DAVENPORT'S
Reviewed
by Carla Gordon
Keely
Nicole is a very beautiful woman with a lovely voice. At a mere 28
years old, Ms. Nicole connects well to music written a half century
or more before she was born.
Radio Hour, presented at DAVENPORT'S PIANO BAR AND CABARET,
is a nostalgic look at tunes popular when radio was foremost in home
entertainment. Before Ipods and even television, families gathered
around console radios listening to music of the day. Some of Keely's
selections were introduced in films (Charlie Chaplin's Smile written
for Modern Times) or stage musicals (Old Devil Moon with music written
by Burton Lane and lyrics by Yip Harburg for Finian's Rainbow).
Smooth crooning was typical of radio vocals, while live
cabaret tends toward deeper interpretations. Ms. Nicole offers the
best of both. In Sway, (written by Norman Gimbel and Pablo Beltran
Ruiz and introduced by Dean Martin in 1954), She lands lightly and
elegantly on its mambo rhythm. Her sultry interpretation of Bye Bye
Blackbird (music by Ray Henderson and lyrics by Mort Dixon) finds
itself in Keeley's tender hands. As she explores the sensual aspect
of the lyric: "Sugar's sweet: So is he," we are quite ready to make
the bed and light the light.
For dramatic interpretation, the program's highlight
was "Two for The Road." The song was composed by Henry Mancini, with
lyrics by Leslie Bricusse. (The lyrics are not sung in the film.)
Mancini, noted for famous movie tunes including Moon River from Breakfast
at Tiffany's (which is paired with Two for the Road), considered Two
for the Road his favorite. Ms. Nicole's rich, yet understated interpretation
reveals hopefulness of relationships anticipated (but not necessarily),
to become long lasting.
"Two for the road, we'll travel down the years,
Collecting precious memories,
Selecting souvenirs and making life,
The way we please."
Musical direction and piano accompaniment was provided
by Dan Stetzel with Larry Gray on bass and Glenn Ellison on drums.
Reluctantly, I must do a bit of finger wagging on the accompaniment.
The volume of the instruments, and the drum in particular forced me
(and I presume other audience members) to work hard merely to hear
the singer. Having heard Keeley before (as well as on her CD), I know
this vocalist has chops in terms of resonance and volume. In cabaret
rooms, which tend to be small, instruments can easily overwhelm the
vocalist. However, this is not per se a function of Davenport's where
I have attended scores of cabaret shows with vocals and instruments
properly balanced. Since the vocalist is in a poor acoustical position
to hear the balances, it is crucial that musical director, musicians,
and sound technician take this issue seriously. Given how cabaret
is a lyric driven art, having to struggle to hear the words is problematic.
Nevertheless, 28 years old Keely Nicole put forth an
evening of excellent music and entertainment. I can barely wait for
the time when her budding interpretive skills reach full bloom. By
then, she'll probably be an old lady of 29.
DAVENPORT'S is located
at 1383 North Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, IL - 773-278-1830 - http://www.davenportspianobar.com/
Copyright, 2007 by Carla Gordon
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