Yvette Cason is a dynamo on stage.   For nearly two hours she kept a sold-out audience virtually spellbound as she ran through a wide-ranging musical catalogue that demonstrated total control of her strong vocal instrument and the power to convey what she was feeling.

She started strong with an uplifting “Never Too Much” (Luther Vandross) and ended even stronger with “I’m Every Woman” (Ashford & Simpson), which had most of the women in the audience standing and swaying and cheering.

In between was a broad mix of genres: standards, like a jazzy take on “My Funny Valentine” (Rodgers & Hart); compelling ballads like “If I Could” (Ken Hirsch/Ron Miller/Marti Sharron); Broadway numbers like a re-creation of “I Am Changing” (Henry Krieger/Tom Eyen) from her stint in Dreamgirls; powerful blues like “Stormy Monday” (T-Bone Walker); and more contemporary material like a high-energy “Love on Top” (Beyoncé Knowles/Terius Nash/Shea Taylor) and a gentle, caressing “I Can’t Make You Love Me” (Mike Reid/Allen Shamblin).

One highlight of the evening was a 20-minute version of Carole King’s “You’ve Got a Friend,” sung in a funky, soulful version before she moved into the audience and prompted lyrical participation from such folks as Valarie Pettiford, Nita Whitaker and the incomparable Linda Hopkins. Cason’s energy never flagged, and it was clear she was having the time of her life after being away from the cabaret stage for about a year while she concentrated on raising her son.

Cason got strong backing from her musicians:  Earl R. Johnson, Jr. on piano; David K. Scott on electric guitar; Timothy Bailey Jr. on electric bass; and David Cowan on drums, plus a backup trio of Will Wheaton, Valerie Pinkston and Lynne Fiddmont.  The show was presented by Chris Isaacson for Upright Cabaret.

Elliot Zwiebach
Cabaret Scenes
April 1, 2012
www.cabaretscenes.org