Farah Alvin
B-Side
The Green Room 42, NYC, June 11, 2021
Reviewed by Randolph Eigenbrode
With a sold-out crowd, Farah Alvin put to rest any concerns one might have as to whether performance rooms would survive the return to indoor performances. Though it was Alvin who quipped “I missed this,” it was the audience who felt that sentiment tenfold, and they demonstrated their hunger for live cabaret with plenty of clamoring hullabaloo.
It’s fitting for Alvin to follow her last offering, On Vinyl, which she was in the midst of performing in March 2020, with another dose of 70s greatest hits. “Nostalgia is the right thing to feel tonight,” she said upfront. For anyone who experienced the “Me Decade,” this set list was just as satisfying: it included songs by Elton John, Joni Mitchell, and David Bowie, to name a few.
For the most part Alvin delivers. A smooth guitar arrangement by music director Michael Holland perfectly framed “Don’t You Worry ‘bout a Thing” (Stevie Wonder), allowing Alvin to expertly slink through difficult melodic passages. “You’re All I Need to Get By” (Nickolas Ashford/Valerie Simpson) launched Alvin into a ping-pong match between sweet longing and fiery resolve. A three-minute TV theme-song medley featuring The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Sanford & Son, and 22 other refrains deftly allowed Alvin to show off her daffy side, so often underutilized.
And who would want batty when the real star is Alvin’s belting. There’s no denying that she can conquer even the most virtuosic of pop repertoire, landing everything from “Dream On” (Steven Tyler) to “A Little More Love” (John Farrar) with aplomb. The audience seemed the most energized when Alvin almost defied human ability with a mash up of “Stairway to Heaven” (Jimmy Page/Robert Plant) and “Crazy on You” (Ann Wilson/Nancy Wilson), soaring without being strident. Most in her element here, she also became most physically alive, charging the length of the stage to work the crowd from all angles.
But this subconscious focus on vocals seems, at times, to rob Alvin of fully explored pieces. “A Song for You” (Leon Russell) paired with “Superstar” (Bonnie Bramlett/Leon Russell) fell flat, almost verging on precious. And a floaty “Wichita Lineman” (Jimmy Webb) came off as overly simple, missing the impassioned yearning in the lyrics.
Yet with her “signature” song – “Solitaire” (Neil Sedaka/Phil Cody) – Alvin perfectly blended vocal ferocity with crackerjack interpretation. She began with an almost chilling stillness; it was solemn, and as the piece picked up steam, it unexpectedly evolved from maudlin pop tune to outsider anthem. Here Alvin is most in focus, and it becomes impossible not only to root for her but for the outsider we feel inside. Brilliant.
She joked “If I’m gonna die, I might as well die belting.” The good news is Farah Alvin is still here, but she just might knock you dead with a belt that’s exciting in any decade.
