Jazz Singer Nicole Henry Proves Brilliant! However...

Often times in the career of a cabaret reviewer, it becomes a necessity to make a delineation between reviewing a performer and reviewing the package; it's not impossible to see a really wonderful entertainer in a show that's all wrong for them, or to see a truly splendid evening which could have been executed by someone more appropriate. In the case of Nicole Henry, who recently won the 2010 Back Stage Bistro Award for Outstanding Jazz Vocalist, she proves herself absolutely brilliant at almost every turn.

Very tall and with an unmistakeably statuesque beauty, besides definitive star quality, presence and charisma, her most recent engagement at Metropolitan Room was packed to the rafters as always, and deservedly so.

The difficulty is, a good deal of her material simply wasn't very thought-provoking or insightful, and at times came close to not merely bordering on ordinary, but resembling much more an act in a beachside resort than the sophisticated clubs of Gotham. It's entirely possible that these song choices may have been borne out of her extensive road work across the globe, where she brings jazz like rain to thirsty soil in countries such as Russia, and the masses therein are certainly only too happy to lap up the Great American Songbook as delivered by the lady. But a performer this marvelously stratospheric should be absolutely astonishing New York with her chosen material, and this show isn't the vehicle with which  to do so, unfortunately.

Always congenial and definitively charming, and possessing a voice as rich as chocolate cheesecake, Henry dazzles and delights when making the choice to employ such songs as "Once," "Everyday" and "Send One Your Love." And she certainly manages to flavor otherwise-mundane material with a unique twist all her own, including "My Love," "Crazy He Calls Me" and a coupling of "Love Potion #9" with "I Heard It Through The Grapevine." Just using these as a basis towards building a much more purposeful evening of jazz would be plenty, and her unquestionable abilities on each, mark her as a clear winner for seasons to come, in New York and other locales, both national and abroad, as well as in the recording studio.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
But, when peppering the remainder of the evening with songs called "overplayed" at their kindest, and "done to death" at their harshest, including "On The Street Where You Live," "All The Things You Are" and the Bonnie Raitt chestnut "I Can't Make You Love Me," the act doesn't so much sink like a lead balloon, as hover for the heavens, soaring higher and higher, and then simply hang there, shimmering beautifully but with no further heights to travel. Her trio of musicians do a marvelous job, and her patter is always laced with extremely interesting anecdotes, ranging from her travels in foreign countries to her aunt Debbie Henry, the renowned backup singer best known for session work with Bruce Hornsby and similar musical legends. Jean-Pierre Perreaux's technical direction is exquisite as always, but even that can't provide the extra boost required to give this evening a much more effective lift-off.

None of this is to remotely suggest that Nicole Henry isn't worth catching next time she's at Metropolitan Room or a similar New York arena. She's got the voice, the face, the physique, the presence, the charisma and every other quality possibly needed to make such a singer a full-fledged star. If, however, she opts to begin exploring the work of other composers (whose work she could undoubtedly infuse with a freshness that would allow her to make those numbers her own) or perhaps sing established material slightly less exposed to the New York City masses at large, she might very well come up with a package that matches her talents perfectly. Make no mistake; this gal is going places one way or the other.