Betty Buckley: Ghostlight

Candace Leeds | October 20, 2014

Betty Buckley

Ghostlight

Joe’s Pub, NYC, October 10, 2014

Reviewed by Candace Leeds for Cabaret Scenes

Betty Buckley’s fans were out in force at Joe’s Pub for an engagement timed to the release of her new album, Ghostlight, produced by her long-time friend, T Bone Burnett. On the album, the eclectic blend of show tunes, standards and rock was beautifully produced, showcasing her dreamy, haunting, lovely vocal quality. However, at Joe’s Pub, the musical accompaniment often seemed to obscure some of the beauty of her sound, which is so appealing on the recording. Yet Buckley’s intensity and emotional power still carried the show. Her interpretative skills were in full force in “If You Go Away,” as she captured the fear and hope of a woman in love. She presented a lovely evocation of melodic, blissful rumination with “Lazy Afternoon,” and we felt her emotional surrender in a powerful rendition of “Body and Soul.” Her slow and dramatic interpretation of the standard, “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,” which led into a powerful “This Nearly Was Mine,” was a tour de force. Buckley explained that the title of her album and show was inspired by the tradition of the spooky bare bulb on a stand in the center of an empty stage placed there when a show was done.