Tiffany Bailey: For All We Know
Tiffany Bailey
For All We Know
Rockwell Table & Stage, Los Angeles, CA, January 12, 2017
Reviewed by Elliot Zwiebach for Cabaret Scenes
Tiffany Bailey
2016 was a self-described “whack-a-doodle” year for Tiffany Bailey—one filled with personal challenges and frustrations—but it left her with positive insights that formed the core of her latest show. She is a strong stage presence with a big voice and a pleasing personality—able to hit the right emotional notes in every song—combined with an earnestness that makes it easy for an audience to believe what she says and go where she takes it.
Among the places she took it was a reflection of being diagnosed with the BRCA1 mutated gene. That put her at extremely high risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer, prompting her to undergo a double mastectomy last year—a situation Bailey acknowledged can take one to very dark places, which she demonstrated in a powerhouse performance of Amy Winehouse’s “I Heard Love Is Blind.”
The year also included the passing of Bailey’s mother-in-law, with whom she said she had a rocky relationship before realizing how similar the two women actually were. It’s a conclusion she turned into a plaintive, heartfelt reading of Paul McCartney’s “Yesterday” in an emotion-packed arrangement that had a nice flow of highs and lows.
There was also a poignant tribute to Candice J. Hincks, a local cabaret singer who had died the night before the show: clearly an emotional subject that Bailey reflected in her performance of the title song by J. Fred Coots and Sam M. Lewis.
The show was definitely not all heavy ballad doom-and-gloom, however. Bailey showed her wide vocal range in a big, loud version of “Baby Workout” (Jackie Wilson/Alonzo Tucker); a hot and funky duet with guest Sidney Jacobs on “Use Me” (Bill Withers), including some impressive scatting by both singers; and a bluesy, crowd-pleasing version of Louis Prima’s “Jump, Jive an’ Wail” in a hookup with Karen Celeste Kruz.
The show’s highlight was a stunningly powerful duet on “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again” (Burt Bacharach/Hal David), with a full-throated Bailey abetted by the deep, strong pipes of Francesca Amari.
Bailey said she came through the year in good shape physically and emotionally, ending the show on a positive note with Stevie Wonder’s “Don’t You Worry ’bout a Thing” that had the house clapping and cheering. It was followed by a sweet shout-out to her husband in a beautiful version of Wonder’s “You and I.”
Bailey had amazing backing from Musical Director Rich Eames on piano, Gabe Davis on bass, Lee Spath on drums and the incomparable Nolan Shaheed on trumpet—a musician who steals the spotlight on every solo and then blends easily back into the ensemble. The show was directed by Clifford Bell.
Category: Cabaret Reviews, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Cabaret Reviews, Regional
