David Burnham knows how to entertain an audience.  Whether he’s singing Broadway standards, power ballads or — his latest addition — some pleasant pop-oriented songs, his innate talent shines through.

Singing in a strong, confident baritone that soared into the tenor range, Burnham offered something for everyone in a special concert to introduce his latest CD, One Day.  He re-created moments from his stage career and from previous cabaret shows, adding selections from the CD, many of which have a more pop sound aimed at a younger demographic. He was superb in whichever genre he sang.

Among the standouts: powerful versions of “Unchained Melody” (Alex North/Hy Zaret) and “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (Paul Simon) — both magnificently arranged by his pianist and Musical Director, Mark Vogel, who also sang harmony on the latter; “I Have Dreamed” (Rodgers & Hammerstein,  The King and I —Burnham provided the voice of The Prince in the animated version); Christine Lavin’s very clever “Apology Song”; and a beautiful, heartfelt tribute to his late mother entitled “Fly Again” (David Phelps) — an outstanding ballad that soars, literally and figuratively, and is guaranteed to bring tears to most listeners’ eyes.

Among original songs from the new CD, three pop-oriented numbers stood out: “Already Gone,” and “Three Little Words,” two catchy up-tempo tunes; and the mellow “Always Have You and Me” (all written by Vogel and Burnham with Jeromy Diebler and Luke Tozour).

Burnham also gave his on-stage ensemble individual chances to shine, with Vogel showing off his superior piano chops with an amazing, pounding version of “Amazing Grace” (John Newton), and with a pair of duets with each of his back-up singers:  a rousing “What You Own” (Jonathan Larson, from Rent) with Joe Donohoe (prompting Burnham to comment, “David Burnham rocks!”); and “As Long As You’re Mine” (Stephen Schwartz, from Wicked, in which he played the role of Fiyero on Broadway), with Tiffany Rathbun.

As an encore, Burnham sang “One Day,” the title track from the CD, backed by students from the Orange County High School of the Arts, which sponsored the show as part of its Broadway/cabaret series.  The students had all been part of Camp Sing, an instructional program for budding singers sponsored by Burnham and Vogel.

The only jarring element in an otherwise perfect evening was the decision by the show’s producers — from the high school — to augment the on-stage piano with orchestral tracks from the CD to make the in-house performances of those songs sound more like the recording.  Though the timing and production values were perfect, it added an out-of-body sound to the performance that would have been better with just the piano accompaniment, leaving the full orchestral sound to the CD alone.  But that wasn’t enough to spoil the magnificent performance by Burnham, a powerful, talented singer, whose warm, inviting stage presence complemented his warm, inviting voice.

Elliot Zwiebach
Cabaret Scenes
April 16, 2011
www.cabaretscenes.org