Susie Meissner has an interesting and involving way of floating her voice, seeming to lift it above and free of the diaphragm, sometimes when successfully making it sound as if it were lighter than air. A lovely quality. That said, in this mostly standard repertoire offering offered up in a standard attempt at jazzing it up, she also, too much of the time, allows it to tend toward the nasal, and falters tremolo, perhaps mostly when and because of not being absolutely sure where the note actually situates; case in point “You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To.” Just when you think she has found her way, she gets lost repeatedly in “Little Girl Blue.” It sounds at those times like loss of focus, panic and fluster at others. Further, many of the musical choices resonate not clever or quirky—quirky’s good—but awkward and corny. Worse, tedious. ”There’ a Small Hotel” does not deserve the treatment (tritement?) it here receives. “What a Wonderful World” is excessively emotive and does not particularly merit the spotlight.

Guess what? No mistakes whatsoever, nary a one, on “They Say It’s Wonderful.” For the first time. For the last song.

Noah Tree
Cabaret Scenes
September 2009
www.cabaretscenes.org