There isn't a better match of performer to material than Terese Genecco's Drunk with Love, a heartfelt tribute to the music of the inimitable Frances Faye. Genecco, like Faye, enjoys a fluid comic banter with her audience, breaking the fourth wall, and possesses a powerful voice able to belt out the oft-bawdy material Faye for which Faye was renowned.

Assembling a "little" big band of crackerjack musicians and recreating the horn and bongo sound Faye incorporated into her shows, Genecco has successfully transported and updated a lost period of cabaret music, and for that we should all be thankful.

Frances Faye was a favorite of mine, a one-of-a-kind openly bisexual performer who interjected sexual double entendres and the names of her friends into song lyrics, courted her 'gay kids', and played the rough saloons and speakeasy's of the 1930s, '40s and '50s. While greater fame eluded her, she was highly regarded amongst her musical peers. Her comic styling’s endeared her to her audiences and it suits Genecco's abilities and personality in recreating Faye's material and arrangements.

Genecco's show and CD rely heavily on Faye's live 1958/63 club engagement, recorded and released as Caught in the Act. Included are all the Faye idiosyncrasies; the mid-song banter with the musicians, performing only a few bars to a song only to abandon it for a joke, including audience members' names into a lyric, and the brassy bossa nova big band sound that the horn section and bongos afford. For this engagement, Genneco was blessed with special guest Jack 'Mr. Bongo' Costanzo, who played with Faye and appears on the Caught in the Act recording! I asked Costanzo what he thought of Genecco's tribute and all he said was "I flew 500 miles to be here didn't I?"

Faye gems like "The Man I Love," "I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate," "Night and Day" and "Drunk With Love" seem written directly for Genecco. Her version of "Kansas City" was one of the finest performances of the year and brought her the first of her standing ovations. The band and arrangements are first rate for both the shows and on the live CD recording. Given that most people are unfamiliar with Frances Faye, those lucky enough to catch Terese Genecco will miss the obvious comparisons and be treated to a rising cabaret star totally at ease with her style and abilities. I know its only June, but Genecco's Drunk with Love will be ranked one of the year's best cabaret shows.

Steve Murray
Cabaret Scenes
June 6, 2007
www.cabaretscenes.org