William Blake with Michael Thomas Murray

Echoes of Etta

Joe’s Pub, NYC, July 31, 2015

Reviewed by Annamaria Alfieri for Cabaret Scenes

This show, which has been successfully making the rounds for a few years, came home to New York for a two-night gig-cum-recording-session at Joe’s Pub. The song choices are the great Etta James’s top hits delivered, with Michael Thomas Murray’s arrangements, by William Blake (pictured) singing lead with a trio of beautiful back-up singers. The five-piece band included Murray on keyboard and, notably, Bryan Vargas on guitar and Jay Leslie on sax. The difficulty for the listener was the decibel level at which the performance came through to the audience, that is to say deafening.
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(I actually began to worry that the very talented folks on stage were making themselves deaf by performing in that maelstrom of sound.)

Every once in a while, for a few seconds, the beautiful possibilities came through with a snippet of nice back-up harmonies or a guitar figure without other accompaniment. The rendition of “Loving You More Every Day” came closest to showing the subtlety and beauty of an original James performance. It made one long to hear what this team could do if they had decided to caress rather than assault the audience with sound.
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A guest spot by singer Ashley Betton of “Take It to the Limit” began with promise as the team stood back and let her strong, energetic, but nuanced singing shine, but, when the others joined in, the subtlety of her performance was drowned in a tsunami of sound.

Perhaps the volume level had something to do with the performance being recorded.
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If that is true, the recording will tell a different story.
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On the other hand, the volume might have been a stylistic choice—an attempt to communicate energy and drive.
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The lady honored by the show was able to accomplish that while offering the audience nuanced and diverse ways of delivering a song’s message.
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I am convinced the performers I saw are capable of such delights. I wish they had had a chance to show us what they can really do.
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