Cabaret Scenes Review - Kevin Dozier

After spending ten years in San Francisco, the award winning vocalist Kevin Dozier has returned to New York with an auspicious debut show at Don’t Tell Mama titled, appropriately enough, Introducing Kevin Dozier. Named ‘Male Performer of the Year’ at the San Francisco Cabaret Competition in 2003, Dozier has a beautiful, lilting, lyric baritone that throbs with passion and intensity. It combines the best of a traditional, straight-forward sound, such as Dick Haymes or Matt Monroe, with just the slightest hint of pop idiom that contemporary Broadway singers like Michael Winther (Songs From An Unmade Bed) and Brian d’Arcy James (the upcoming Shrek) have perfected.

Wisely, Dozier has surrounded himself with a group of top-notch professionals for his east coat launch, making Introducing Kevin Dozier not only an entertaining product, but a highly polished one too. Smoothly directed by Scott Barnes, Dozier presents a charming, amiable personality combined with patter sprinkled with anecdotes about looking for love as an out, gay man in the new millennium. A shade nervous at his opening on June 2, Dozier will undoubtedly relax a bit as his run progresses through the end of the month, no doubt aided by his superb musical director, Christopher Marlowe, who, along with Barnes, is famous for his long collaboration with the late, great Nancy LaMott.

Easily one of the most gifted artists in recent cabaret history, Marlowe’s spare, carefully selected accompaniment can only be an asset to any singer. Filled with unexpected harmonies, climbing chromatics and perfect tonal support, Marlowe understands his job is to make the singer sound good and he does it better than practically anyone else. For Dozier, that means crafting arrangements that take a classic like Kander & Ebb’s “Yes” (a signature song for Liza Minnelli) or Schmidt & Jones “Soon It’s Gonna Rain” (from The Fantasticks), spinning it into a tempo and style you wouldn’t expect, and then making magic out of it. Together, Dozier and Marlowe make a formidable musical team and, from his opening of “Gimme, Gimme” (from Thoroughly Modern Millie) to his heartbreakingly beautiful closer, “Before We Say Goodbye” (by Tom Andersen and Ian Herman), confidence and joy radiate out of Dozier and he’s a pleasure to watch. It’s clear he knows he’s playing with the best.

Additionally, it’s fitting that Introducing Kevin Dozier is debuting at Don’t Tell Mama. Newly refurbished, spruced up and under new ownership, this venerable club looks great again and the main cabaret room’s lights and sound have rarely seemed better than under the capable hands of longtime technical director, Bobby Kneeland. If you haven’t been to Mama’s lately, now’s the time to stop in and check it out with Dozier’s new show being the perfect excuse.

One final thought concerning repertoire. Whenever a critic sees “Over the Rainbow” on a performer’s song list, typically resignation and despair set in pretty quickly. Easily one of the greatest songs ever written with a beyond-legendary association with Judy Garland, it’s not unreasonable to say the vast majority of cabaret singers should think long and hard before programming it. Yes, it’s a beautiful song and, yes, everyone wants to sing it. But unless you’re going to do something really new and really different with it, you should resist the temptation to set yourself up for comparison with the greatest singers of the American Songbook. With that said, it’s a testament to Dozier and Marlowe that “Over the Rainbow” is one of the highlights of the show. Sensitive and understated, and possessing a rapturously gorgeous arrangement, Dozier’s mellifluous reading of Harold Arlen & Yip Harburg’s masterpiece is astonishing. That they actually make it work may be the greatest achievement of Introducing Kevin Dozier. And who wants to miss that?

Introducing Kevin Dozier continues at Don’t Tell Mama (343 West 46^th St; 212-757-0788) on June 9, 17, 23 & 30.

Kevin launches his solo debut CD in October with performances at the Metropolitan Room October 22, 29 & 30.

David Hurst
Cabaret Scenes
June 2, 2008
www.cabaretscenes.org



	Kevin Dozier Introducing Kevin Dozier Don't Tell Mama New York, NY
After spending ten years in San Francisco, the award winning vocalist Kevin Dozier has returned to New York with an auspicious debut show at Don’t Tell Mama titled, appropriately enough, Introducing Kevin Dozier. Named ‘Male Performer of the Year’ at the San Francisco Cabaret Competition in 2003, Dozier has a beautiful, lilting, lyric baritone that throbs with passion and intensity. It combines the best of a traditional, straight-forward sound, such as Dick Haymes or Matt Monroe, with just the slightest hint of pop idiom that contemporary Broadway singers like Michael Winther (Songs From An Unmade Bed) and Brian d’Arcy James (the upcoming Shrek) have perfected. Wisely, Dozier has surrounded himself with a group of top-notch professionals for his east coat launch, making Introducing Kevin Dozier not only an entertaining product, but a highly polished one too. Smoothly directed by Scott Barnes, Dozier presents a charming, amiable personality combined with patter sprinkled with anecdotes about looking for love as an out, gay man in the new millennium. A shade nervous at his opening on June 2, Dozier will undoubtedly relax a bit as his run progresses through the end of the month, no doubt aided by his superb musical director, Christopher Marlowe, who, along with Barnes, is famous for his long collaboration with the late, great Nancy LaMott. Easily one of the most gifted artists in recent cabaret history, Marlowe’s spare, carefully selected accompaniment can only be an asset to any singer. Filled with unexpected harmonies, climbing chromatics and perfect tonal support, Marlowe understands his job is to make the singer sound good and he does it better than practically anyone else. For Dozier, that means crafting arrangements that take a classic like Kander & Ebb’s “Yes” (a signature song for Liza Minnelli) or Schmidt & Jones “Soon It’s Gonna Rain” (from The Fantasticks), spinning it into a tempo and style you wouldn’t expect, and then making magic out of it. Together, Dozier and Marlowe make a formidable musical team and, from his opening of “Gimme, Gimme” (from Thoroughly Modern Millie) to his heartbreakingly beautiful closer, “Before We Say Goodbye” (by Tom Andersen and Ian Herman), confidence and joy radiate out of Dozier and he’s a pleasure to watch. It’s clear he knows he’s playing with the best. Additionally, it’s fitting that Introducing Kevin Dozier is debuting at Don’t Tell Mama. Newly refurbished, spruced up and under new ownership, this venerable club looks great again and the main cabaret room’s lights and sound have rarely seemed better than under the capable hands of longtime technical director, Bobby Kneeland. If you haven’t been to Mama’s lately, now’s the time to stop in and check it out with Dozier’s new show being the perfect excuse. One final thought concerning repertoire. Whenever a critic sees “Over the Rainbow” on a performer’s song list, typically resignation and despair set in pretty quickly. Easily one of the greatest songs ever written with a beyond-legendary association with Judy Garland, it’s not unreasonable to say the vast majority of cabaret singers should think long and hard before programming it. Yes, it’s a beautiful song and, yes, everyone wants to sing it. But unless you’re going to do something really new and really different with it, you should resist the temptation to set yourself up for comparison with the greatest singers of the American Songbook. With that said, it’s a testament to Dozier and Marlowe that “Over the Rainbow” is one of the highlights of the show. Sensitive and understated, and possessing a rapturously gorgeous arrangement, Dozier’s mellifluous reading of Harold Arlen & Yip Harburg’s masterpiece is astonishing. That they actually make it work may be the greatest achievement of Introducing Kevin Dozier. And who wants to miss that? Introducing Kevin Dozier continues at Don’t Tell Mama (343 West 46^th St; 212-757-0788) on June 9, 17, 23 & 30. Kevin launches his solo debut CD in October with performances at the Metropolitan Room October 22, 29 & 30. David Hurst Cabaret Scenes June 2, 2008 www.cabaretscenes.org

Kevin Dozier

Introducing Kevin Dozier

Don't Tell MamaNew York, NY

Don't Tell Mama
New York, NY