No gimmicks. No tortured premise. DC's favorite cabaret singer, Beverly Cosham, presented a straightforward evening of selections at Indigo that show what a highly effective artist can do with well-chosen material. Cosham opened with the lovely Raposo song, "You Will Be My Music." After it she commented, "Unlike other singers, I like to get the hard stuff out of the way early." Cosham then continued cutting a wide swath through the Great American Songbook, making the rest look easy. Highlights included Janis Ian‚'s "Jessie‚" with Cosham speculating that it might be a song about a lover gone off to the military; the opening of "I Got Lost In His Arms‚" casually spoken as a lead-in to a soaring version of "He Touched Me" and an intense yet wistful reading of "My Favorite Year."

Cosham's great gift is the way she illustrates the character and emotion of a song, without slipping into histrionics. One never feels personally concerned for her sanity. She always reminds me of the Mabel Mercer comment that it is not the singer's job to sing his/her own emotion but to sing the audience's.

Alex Tang, Cosham's musical director, provided splendidly assistance. As a player, Tang's style veers far from bravura showiness. However, he has in recent
years developed into a powerhouse for providing steady support combined with a low-key wit. And his silences in support of Cosham's version of "Bill" provided far more character and grounding for her work than the showy arpeggios other players might indulge in.

Michael Miyazaki
Cabaret Scenes
February 23, 2008
www.cabaretscenes.org