Sony Holland celebrated the release of her new CD (see CD review at http://cabaretscenes.org/cd_revs/2008/may08/
holland_sony_5-08.html) with a sparkling performance that played to her considerable strengths as a savvy vocalist and song stylist. Apropos to the CD title, Sony mixes it up between jazzy swing, sensuous bossas, some lovely ballads and light blues. She grows more confident in all genres with every performance and balances the material with care and forethought.

Opening with swing arrangements of "Just in Time" and Cole Porter's "You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To," Sony deftly maneuvered through Harry Warren’s ballad "I Only Have Eyes for You" and two bossas written by husband Jerry Holland ("It’s An Understatement" and "As You Are").  "As You Are" could be Sony’s classic song – its that perfect for her.  From the opening verse she stretches the lyric “like a summer storm” in her signature phrasing giving them a relaxed, sensuous reading.  This song, as well as Jerry Holland’s "On a San Francisco High," with its stylistic bridging of jazz and bossa nova, is pure Sony delights. 

Another ballad that displays Sony’s leisurely inflection is "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," the Roberta Flack Grammy-Award winning mega-hit. The song unfolds at a languid pace that directs the listener to the lyric as intended. "The Nearness of You," Rodgers and Hart’s "My Romance" and a lovely ‘"Autumn Leaves" woo the audience like careful delicate lullabies. Sony’s boldest musical choice was a cover of Rufus Wainwright’s "Sanssouci." Very few performers would dare to tackle Wainwright’s complex phrasing and chord manipulations let alone his unique lyrical sensibilities, but Sony really nailed this one. In an evening of many wise choices, Sony’s talents shone through elegantly.

Steve Murray
Cabaret Scenes
June 29, 2008
www.cabaretscenes.org