Cheryl Szucsits: Cross Over to the Country Side

Carla Gordon | September 30, 2014

Cheryl Szucsits

Cross Over to the Country Side

Davenport’s, Chicago, IL, September 27, 2014

Reviewed by Carla Gordon for Cabaret Scenes

Cross Over to the Country Side represents a breakthrough for Cheryl Szucsits. Gone is that disconnect between head and chest voice. Gone is singing too high and holding notes too long. Her programs could be sugary, but Cross Over… is balanced with wit and sass. The sass was most evident in “Before He Cheats,” in which the spurned lover takes revenge applying the Louisville Sluggger to the louse’s headlights. Sass also rules the opening number, “Hard Headed Woman.” There are toe-tappers, like Hank Williams’s “Jambalaya,” unabashed sentiment in Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You,” which Szuscits explains was written a decade before the film of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Country gospel adds variety with “This Ole House” and three-part harmony in “Down to the River to Pray.” Musical Director Nick Sula added a remarkable solo performance with his stark delivery of “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town,” plumbing the bitterness of the lyric. The theme of Cross Over… is that certain country lyrics carry the depth that is also effective in cabaret. Many do. Clearly Szcusits has traveled far as an artist. Cross over to some country. You will be pleased that you did.