Revoiced

Royal Caribbean Brilliance of the Seas Pacifica Theatre, May 5, 2019

Reviewed by Lynn Timmons Edwards for Cabaret Scenes

Up-and-coming cabaret artists are always on my radar. Revoiced—Chris Rossi, Nate Tao, Mark Hasman, Rolin Alexis, Justin Crichfield—is such a combo with five talented vocalists and a 21-year-old artist of vocal percussion, drummer Justin Crichfield, who is destined to be one of the best in the world. His technique makes you swear there is a rhythm track.

The show started on a high note of “Get Ready” (Smokey Robinson) and included other classic pop songs including “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” (Norman Whitfield/Barrett Strong), “Something’s Got a Hold on Me” (Etta James/Leroy Kirkland/Pearl Woods), “The Sound of Silence” (Paul Simon), “Carolina in My Mind” (James Taylor), and closed with “Goodnite, Sweetheart, Goodnite” (Calvin Carter/James Hudson). The group’s harmonies are pure, and the arrangements breathe new life into the material.

Hopefully, they will add more of the Great American Songbook to their repertoire.

Bass Rolin Alexis shines and, coming from a musical theater background, he also provides clever and energetic choreography. These guys are right up there with Pentatonix and Straight No Chaser with a great look and compelling personal stories. Chris Rossi, tenor/producer/arranger and former featured singer with Andy Williams at the Moon River Theatre, has found a professional cast of singers to “cruise” into a larger performing arts and cabaret club circuit.