John Lloyd Young

Feinstein’s at the Nikko, San Francisco, CA, August 10, 2017

Reviewed by Steve Murray for Cabaret Scenes

John Lloyd Young created the role of Frankie Valli in the Broadway musical Jersey Boys, winning a Tony Award. He followed that up in Clint Eastwood’s film adaptation in 2014 and continued to cash in on his fondness for 1950s and ’60s rock ‘n’ roll/ doo wop on his CD My Turn released the same year. Young works his rock ‘n’ roll star onstage persona to perfection—becoming an Elvis-like character replete with sultry gestures, dark sunglasses, and handshaking walks through the audience. His wildly enthusiastic, mostly female, fan base squealed with delight at every affect, especially his opening mini-set of “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me,” “My Prayer,” and The Five Satins’ pop hit “In the Still of the Night.

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” The women, some of whom had flown great distances to attend, swooned.
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I was bored.

But then something interesting happened. A stunning cover of Ray Orbison’s gorgeous heartbreak song “Say No More” (Sammy King) displayed a new dimension to Young: heartfelt, deep, and genuine. “Parla piu piano,” the theme from The Godfather and sung in Italian, is paired with the original Spanish version of “Usted” (José Antonio Zorrilla Martínez/Gabriel Ruiz Galindo) and displayed Young’s variety and depth. He allowed his musical director and friend Tommy Faragher an opportunity to perform a sensational bluesy cover of Leon Russell’s “A Song for You,” and the two created great harmonies on “Show and Tell” (Jerry Fuller) and “Almost There” (Faragher/Adam Zelkind).

His high tenor is lovely, but due to a cold, was missing during “Sherry”—“You know I can sing it” he says—so he let his more-than-willing fans sing along. He closed with a raspy, rock cover of Paul McCartney’s “Maybe I’m Amazed.
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”  Young is more than a Jersey Boy caricature. Of course, he has to sing the hits that brought him his fame, but, as an artist, he owes it to himself to branch out and feed his many muses. He has the talent in spades to achieve wider success.