In many showcases, jazz singer Jamie Brady has delivered smooth-voiced, laid-back musical numbers well. However, in her debut solo show, Fashionably Late… But Right on Time, she offers up some promising cabaret chops. Her dialogue is well written and funny. Her comic timing is on the mark and she can land a Jack Benny-esque double take with the best of ‘em. The show has a good variety of genres, from “I Love Being Here with You” to “There Will Never Be Another You.” Brady offers charming quips about her family’s devotion to country music in the discussion surrounding “Walkin’ After Midnight.” She is especially entertaining on “Peel Me a Grape”—alternating petulance and sexiness—and it’s the show’s highlight. Ballads are somewhat more challenging for Brady; it’s fine for “All the Things You Are” to swing, but Hammerstein’s lyrical journey must also be well honored. Even the lyrics of Sting are hard to understand in his own signature song “Fields of Gold.” Brady and other singers who choose to tackle this beautiful yet difficult song, might do well to listen to Eva Cassidy’s remarkable rendition. As debut shows go, Brady’s is a keeper. It will be joyful to follow her cabaret journey.
Carla Gordon
Cabaret Scenes
May 21, 2012
www.cabaretscenes.org
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