Claudia Koval
With Heart and Soul
Tom Rolla’s Gardenia, West Hollywood, CA, August 21, 2015
Reviewed by Les Traub for Cabaret Scenes
Claudia Koval’s solo cabaret debut in support of her CD, With Heart and Soul, was a relaxed-paced, easygoing affair that showcased her fine voice and delightfully swinging style. Her opener of “Bluesette” set the mood and her follow up of “Mean to Me” continued in the same easy, swing vein. Her upper register produced beautifully clear notes while providing appropriate coloring of the lyrics. Her jazz side got a workout on “Moody’s Mood for Love,” which was a nice change of pace.
There was a minimal amount of patter during the show, except for an extended tribute to her mother, in which she acknowledged the musical legacy she received from her.
A touching rendition of “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” a favorite of her mother’s, presented the most personal moments of the show. Additional patter would be most welcome in future shows to help the audience connect with her and to showcase her personal connections to the songs. She was relaxed and confident throughout the show so she should have no problem in adding that extra personal touch.
A terrific trio led by Andris Mattson at the piano with Nick Klingenberg on bass and Ken Herrera on drums was augmented on some of the numbers by the addition of gorgeous sax and flute work by Marc Macisso.
