Cabaret Scenes CD Review - Marlene VerPlanck

With a good arranger and a keen ear for detail, a strong singer can make any classic love song sound fresh. And that is just what Marlene VerPlanck does with her latest album, Once There Was a Moon, which contrasts the hot excitement of new love with the warm comfort of more mature affection. Husband Billy VerPlanck’s arrangements for piano, bass and drums (Tedd Firth, Steve LaSpina and Rich DeRosa, respectively) are a study in elegant simplicity, creating complex emotions without wasting a single note. With a clear, strong voice that is suitable for every kind of music, VerPlanck ranges from dramatically intense to calm and relaxed, letting the songs form an emotional arc.

The album’s uptempo numbers feel intense and powerful, infused with a determination and drive that make the romance in each song a fiercely coveted prize. For example, “The Best Thing for You” and “It Might as Well Be Spring” both have a tempo that would keep time with a palpitating heartbeat, emphasizing the giddy energy of first love and desire. “Dearly Beloved” is bright and exciting, nicely expressing joy and hope.

The ballads, in turn, are gentler and much mellower, making for a lovely contrast throughout the album. Billy VerPlanck’s “Around About Half Past Nine” is slyly confident, though with a much warmer sound than a lesser arranger and singer might have given it. It would have been easy to sing the number as a cool seduction but, by letting her voice radiate happy anticipation, VerPlanck gives the song added depth and dimension. Similarly, “Where Do You Go from Love?” is rather like the wisp of smoke after a torch song—soft and poignant, but performed with the steely strength of a survivor.

The album’s title song (conveniently, the last one on the CD), written by Billy VerPlanck and Leon Nock, is quietly sweet and dreamy, a nice culmination of the preceding thirteen numbers. The song manages to wrap up all of the emotions of the others, and beautifully conveys the range of emotions that the CD covers—and that Marlene VerPlanck’s previous nineteen albums have conveyed.

Jena Tesse Fox
Cabaret Scenes
March 2009
www.cabaretscenes.org



	Marlene VerPlanck Once There Was a Moon
With a good arranger and a keen ear for detail, a strong singer can make any classic love song sound fresh. And that is just what Marlene VerPlanck does with her latest album, Once There Was a Moon, which contrasts the hot excitement of new love with the warm comfort of more mature affection. Husband Billy VerPlanck’s arrangements for piano, bass and drums (Tedd Firth, Steve LaSpina and Rich DeRosa, respectively) are a study in elegant simplicity, creating complex emotions without wasting a single note. With a clear, strong voice that is suitable for every kind of music, VerPlanck ranges from dramatically intense to calm and relaxed, letting the songs form an emotional arc. The album’s uptempo numbers feel intense and powerful, infused with a determination and drive that make the romance in each song a fiercely coveted prize. For example, “The Best Thing for You” and “It Might as Well Be Spring” both have a tempo that would keep time with a palpitating heartbeat, emphasizing the giddy energy of first love and desire. “Dearly Beloved” is bright and exciting, nicely expressing joy and hope. The ballads, in turn, are gentler and much mellower, making for a lovely contrast throughout the album. Billy VerPlanck’s “Around About Half Past Nine” is slyly confident, though with a much warmer sound than a lesser arranger and singer might have given it. It would have been easy to sing the number as a cool seduction but, by letting her voice radiate happy anticipation, VerPlanck gives the song added depth and dimension. Similarly, “Where Do You Go from Love?” is rather like the wisp of smoke after a torch song—soft and poignant, but performed with the steely strength of a survivor. The album’s title song (conveniently, the last one on the CD), written by Billy VerPlanck and Leon Nock, is quietly sweet and dreamy, a nice culmination of the preceding thirteen numbers. The song manages to wrap up all of the emotions of the others, and beautifully conveys the range of emotions that the CD covers—and that Marlene VerPlanck’s previous nineteen albums have conveyed. Jena Tesse Fox Cabaret Scenes March 2009 www.cabaretscenes.org