Cabaret Scenes Review - Eden Espinosa

I rarely mention a show’s producers, but attention must be paid to Upright Cabaret’s Chris Isaacson and Shane Scheel. Not just for bringing Broadway’s (Wicked) Eden Espinosa to my attention but for breathing life into contemporary cabaret, and creating a large new roster of gifted artists to expand a somewhat insular community of cabaret performers.

Without any pussyfooting around, Eden Espinosa has a terrific voice. More that than, she has a muti-octave range and complete freedom in all her registers. Then the matter of style employed during the course of the evening is to be pointed out. She was able to wail like a gospel singer and spin out a delicate nuance on the turn of a dime. It is a rare “Broadway Singer” that refrains from the irritating overly nasal, forward sound that is the accepted norm. Espinosa let us have our cake and eat it too.

There was something for everyone in her mix of tunes, from Joni Mitchell to Stephen Sondheim. She covered a number of tunes by a contemporary singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles, one of the several composers on the program that I was not (yet) familiar with. Of the contemporary tunes, I was most moved by “Lover, You Should Have Come Over” by Jeff Buckley. The program was so varied that it is impossible to name every tune of interest.

She was able to resell us Sondheim’s well-trod “Losing My Mind” by stepping it up a notch and torching the hell out of it without sacrificing any of the delicate beauty of music or sentiment. Not an easy task, but thrilling in her hands.

Conversely, she delivered the classic '70s rock number, “Cold as Ice,” in an accusatory declamation that rendered us breathless.

The powerful band could have obscured a lesser singer, and I would liked to have heard more acoustic style numbers, just to be able to luxuriate in Espinosa’s singular sound without any distraction from the electronic appliances on the stage. Letting them rip with some slightly extended solos (as in jazz) would have been a nice way to let the band breathe and then pull back, enhancing the experience. The lyrics deserved to be well deciphered at all times.

Guest performer (vocals and keyboard) Katie Thompson was able to hold her own and had some of the best qualities of Bonnie Raitt and Janice Joplin. Look forward to seeing her in concert. Kudos’s to Joe’s Pub, the ultimate “downtown” cultural institution. Although I did not partake, there was a very interesting $25 pre-fix menu that looked quite tempting. Definitely next time—and there will be one.

Eden’s final show at Joe’s is Tuesday, March 24 at 9:30 PM.

Eden Espinosa: Me will make a triumphant return to Southern California on Fri, July 24th, 2009 at the Ford Amphitheatre with special guest Audra Mae (singer/songwriter, Judy Garland's grand-neice) as part of Upright Cabaret's Wicked Summer Nights Series. Tickets on sale April 1st, 2009 at www.fordtheatres.org

Melody Breyer-Grell
Cabaret Scenes
March 22, 2009
www.cabaretscenes.org



	Eden Espinosa Me Joe''s Pub New York, NY
I rarely mention a show’s producers, but attention must be paid to Upright Cabaret’s Chris Isaacson and Shane Scheel. Not just for bringing Broadway’s (Wicked) Eden Espinosa to my attention but for breathing life into contemporary cabaret, and creating a large new roster of gifted artists to expand a somewhat insular community of cabaret performers. Without any pussyfooting around, Eden Espinosa has a terrific voice. More that than, she has a muti-octave range and complete freedom in all her registers. Then the matter of style employed during the course of the evening is to be pointed out. She was able to wail like a gospel singer and spin out a delicate nuance on the turn of a dime. It is a rare “Broadway Singer” that refrains from the irritating overly nasal, forward sound that is the accepted norm. Espinosa let us have our cake and eat it too. There was something for everyone in her mix of tunes, from Joni Mitchell to Stephen Sondheim. She covered a number of tunes by a contemporary singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles, one of the several composers on the program that I was not (yet) familiar with. Of the contemporary tunes, I was most moved by “Lover, You Should Have Come Over” by Jeff Buckley. The program was so varied that it is impossible to name every tune of interest. She was able to resell us Sondheim’s well-trod “Losing My Mind” by stepping it up a notch and torching the hell out of it without sacrificing any of the delicate beauty of music or sentiment. Not an easy task, but thrilling in her hands. Conversely, she delivered the classic '70s rock number, “Cold as Ice,” in an accusatory declamation that rendered us breathless. The powerful band could have obscured a lesser singer, and I would liked to have heard more acoustic style numbers, just to be able to luxuriate in Espinosa’s singular sound without any distraction from the electronic appliances on the stage. Letting them rip with some slightly extended solos (as in jazz) would have been a nice way to let the band breathe and then pull back, enhancing the experience. The lyrics deserved to be well deciphered at all times. Guest performer (vocals and keyboard) Katie Thompson was able to hold her own and had some of the best qualities of Bonnie Raitt and Janice Joplin. Look forward to seeing her in concert. Kudos’s to Joe’s Pub, the ultimate “downtown” cultural institution. Although I did not partake, there was a very interesting $25 pre-fix menu that looked quite tempting. Definitely next time—and there will be one. Eden’s final show at Joe’s is Tuesday, March 24 at 9:30 PM. Eden Espinosa: Me will make a triumphant return to Southern California on Fri, July 24th, 2009 at the Ford Amphitheatre with special guest Audra Mae (singer/songwriter, Judy Garland's grand-neice) as part of Upright Cabaret's Wicked Summer Nights Series. Tickets on sale April 1st, 2009 at www.fordtheatres.org Melody Breyer-Grell Cabaret Scenes March 22, 2009 www.cabaretscenes.org

Eden Espinosa

Me

Joe''s Pub New York, NY

Joe''s Pub
New York, NY