James Hammel is a pleasing performer, but his cabaret show at the Metropolitan Room was presented before it was ready. Sharing the stage with the accomplished Daryl Kojak quartet, Hammell opened his show with two Cole Porter standards, adding to the accompaniment with his guitar. Cabaret is new territory for Hammel, and as such, One Step Forward had more promise than realization. His renditions frequently needed greater interpretation, and the use of his guitar plus the quartet behind him often were overkill, the instrumentation submerging Hammel and his lyric.

Several of the songs were written by Hammel, including the title song, which he wrote with Kat James. His best moments, however, were with other's material, a nice rendition of Johnny Mercer and Barry Manilow's "When October Goes," and a blues-y "You Don't Know What Love Is" by George DePaul and Don Raye.

With added experience in the intimate venues, Hammel could develop into a credible cabaret artist. He's likable and has no apologies to make for his voice. It might even help for him to put aside his guitar, which may serve as a security blanket in the unfamiliar setting, to concentrate on his abilities as a vocalist. Or hang on to the guitar and minimize the number of other instruments on stage.

Lina Koutrakos directed. Jean Pierre Perreaux was technical director.

One Step Forward will play at The Metropolitan Room again on Saturday, February 3rd.

Peter Leavy
Cabaret Scenes
January 27, 2007
www.cabaretscenes.org