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Sound Advice
By Rob Lester
Talkin' Broadway.com
August 11, 2005
KLEA BLACKHURST
AUTUMN IN NEW YORK: VERNON DUKE'S BROADWAY
Ghostlight/ Sh-K-Boom Records
She's perky, she's plucky, and she's loaded with personality.
Klea Blackhurst is a real old-fashioned entertainer, kind
of a throwback to vaudeville. She has energy and bright-light
spirits, inducing smiles with her sheer force of good will.
With her animated manner and witty repartee, she is best appreciated
in person, but her discs are a fun listen, too.
Klea burst on the New York City cabaret scene with a show
about her idol, Ethel Merman (the show, Everything The
Traffic Will Allow, was recorded and released in 2001).
Although the material in her second album doesn't take advantage
of her brashness and humor as much, it's still a breezy, worthwhile
spin. This time, her subject is composer Vernon Duke. She
says she was attracted to exploring his canon because he wrote
many songs, some well known, but never had a hit Broadway
show. When his centennial came around in 2003, she chose him
as her new focus.
Klea is sunshine personified, and sparkly songs with sparkly
arrangements suit her best. She has a fine partner in Michael
Rice, who matches her sprightliness with nostalgic yet bouncy
musical settings. Even in a thoughtful ballad, such as the
title song, an optimism comes through. Ira Gershwin's lyric
to "I Can't Get Started" never seemed less gloomy,
and she's quite convincing in songs like the opening mood-establisher
"Not A Care In The World" or "Poor As A Churchmouse."
The more famous songs include "Taking A Chance On Love"
(from Duke's most successful show, Cabin In The Sky)
and "April In Paris," but it's the little-known
gems that come off best. The four main lyricists represented
are Yip Harburg, Ira Gershwin, John Latouche and Howard Dietz,
among the cream of the crop.
The four songs with Dietz' lyrics stand out. Sadie Thompson
had originally been slated to star Ethel Merman, who quit,
which must have piqued Klea's interest, being a confessed
Mermaniac. "Sailing At Midnight" is smooth sailing
in Klea's hands. I'd be tempted to say that Dietz' lyric to
"Indefinable Charm" could have been written about
this performer, except that her charm is almost definable:
she has a sense of joy that comes through with everything
she does, a love for the craft of the songs that translates
into crafty communication skills.
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