MargOH! Is reviewing shows for Cabaret Hotline but due to some technical issues this review hasn't been posted yet but I wanted to share my thoughts on the fabulous Amber Martin. Here is my review of her show. I'd never seen one of Amber's full shows and she blew me away
Stoned Soul:
Amber Martin Sings her Favorite Laura Nyro
Amber Martin
is famous for creating hysterical characters like Brenda Snell and
impersonations; her spot on Reba is a loving and hilarious tribute not to be
missed. In her new show “Stoned Soul: Amber Martin Sings her Favorite Laura
Nyro” you will find a showcase for her not so secret weapon, her monster of a
voice.
As I stumbled
into the nightclub 54 Below with my entourage there was Ms. Martin finishing
her tech rehearsal. Fitting for the style of show we were about to experience. Once the show started Amber sauntered on-stage
in an elegant black satin evening gown, black gloves and rhinestone choker and
her infamous tuft of curly blonde locks. I’m a gal who appreciates a little
glamour and she was looking amazing as she blasted into “Save the Country” from
Nyro’s “New York Tendaberry” album that was a hit for the 5th
Dimension. Amber then guided us through what she called the substance abuse
portion of the show and cleverly gave us a history lesson as she displayed her
own Nyro vinyl collection. This section included ‘Poverty Train” and the
soulful “Eli’s Coming” that was deliciously peppered with shades of Dusty
Springfield. As I said before Ms. Martin owns a monster of a voice with a range
that blasted us through one of Nyro’s most well known songs “Stoned Soul
Picnic” with ease and a sense of nostalgic whimsy. Prior to starting the song she
directed us to open our “bibles” (i.e. a biography of Nyro) and explained that
the word “surry” in the lyric of the song has no clear meaning and when
questioned about it, Laura replied "Oh, it's just a nice word."
Sometimes when
an artist tackles an icon or their idol’s songbook it can easily turn into a
vanity project or sycophantic orgy but in Amber Martin’s skilled hands there
was an honest and authentic vibe in the room. She allowed the audience to
recognize and appreciate the off- beat style of Nyro’s work even pointing out
that Laura seemed a bit “crazy”. Martin’s charming spirit and her keen ability
to reverentially poke gentle fun at her idols is one of her most brilliant
qualities as a performer and provided light fun to the often heaviness of
Nyro’s lyrics. After singing “Woman’s Blues” Amber explained that she had sung
45 minutes of Joplin straight through and that was nothing compared to singing
the songs of Nyro, given her propensity for frequent and unusual tempo shifts
and other unique composition choices. Then she took a swig of inspiration,
coughed and went straight into “And When I Die” which was my favorite of the
evening, an absolutely brilliant interpretation of an amazing and gut wrenching
song.
In this show
Martin is backed by an outstanding team of musicians including Matt Ray on piano,
Claudia Chopek on violin, her pal and cutie pie talent Nath Ann Carerra on
guitar, Patrick Johnson on percussion and vocals and Dave LeBleu on drums.
This
thoroughly entertaining evening was capped off with a spirited version of
“Nowhere to Run” a song from the album “Gonna Take a Miracle” on which Nyro had
collaborated on with Labelle. Joining her was backing vocalist Patrick Johnson
and special guest Asa Lovechild, a beautifully ridiculous powerhouse of a
singer that works and tours with Nona Hendryx, formerly of Labelle. According
to Martin they had no rehearsal time but you would never have known that as we
clapped and sang along. But then that’s the type of artist Amber Martin is - humble,
authentic and a bottomless cocktail of fun.
Stoned Soul:
Amber Martin Sings her Favorite Laura Nyro is playing one more show at 54 Below
Sunday June 23 at 7PM. Get your tickets and enjoy an artist at the top of her
game performing the songs she loves. You can’t pay enough to see that!!
I rate this
show 4.5 martini’s out of 5
By MargOH! Channing
