Cabaret Scenes CD Review - Lina Koutrakos

Warm the cognac. Get comfortable. When you listen to Lina Koutrakos’s CD, Torch, prepare for an experience that is both musically beautiful and extraordinarily sensual. This collection of “torch” songs is sometimes sad, never whiny, sometimes even funny, and consistently able to reach the heart. In the Koutrakos version, “It Had to Be You” is no piano bar chestnut—it‘s a reflection on what compels us in love. There’s no belting in “The Man That Got Away.” It’s about a tough night. She is too smart to make it show-bizzy. “You Fascinate Me So” is sexy fun. Her rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Joan of Arc” is a moving journey about being consumed by passion… any passion, be it God, love, or fire itself. The voice is supple and warm. Too many singers who, like Koutrakos, made their bones in rock, cross that line from loose to sloppy but she never does. The vocals are easy and languid while the words and stories remain Swarovski-clear. Rick Jensen’s accompaniment is just right. Along with Jensen, producer Jean-Pierre Perreaux makes the correct call in sticking with piano accompaniment. Torch succeeded as live cabaret, but shows don’t necessarily translate into engaging recordings. Yet, even without the visual contributions of movement and expression, Torch, the CD, warms the soul and the senses.

Carla Gordon
Cabaret Scenes
March 2010
www.cabaretscenes.org



	Lina Koutrakos Torch
Warm the cognac. Get comfortable. When you listen to Lina Koutrakos’s CD, Torch, prepare for an experience that is both musically beautiful and extraordinarily sensual. This collection of “torch” songs is sometimes sad, never whiny, sometimes even funny, and consistently able to reach the heart. In the Koutrakos version, “It Had to Be You” is no piano bar chestnut—it‘s a reflection on what compels us in love. There’s no belting in “The Man That Got Away.” It’s about a tough night. She is too smart to make it show-bizzy. “You Fascinate Me So” is sexy fun. Her rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Joan of Arc” is a moving journey about being consumed by passion… any passion, be it God, love, or fire itself. The voice is supple and warm. Too many singers who, like Koutrakos, made their bones in rock, cross that line from loose to sloppy but she never does. The vocals are easy and languid while the words and stories remain Swarovski-clear. Rick Jensen’s accompaniment is just right. Along with Jensen, producer Jean-Pierre Perreaux makes the correct call in sticking with piano accompaniment. Torch succeeded as live cabaret, but shows don’t necessarily translate into engaging recordings. Yet, even without the visual contributions of movement and expression, Torch, the CD, warms the soul and the senses. Carla Gordon Cabaret Scenes March 2010 www.cabaretscenes.org