Clint Holmes: At the Colony

The Royal Room at The Colony Hotel, Palm Beach, FL. January 9,2015

Reviewed by Jeffrey Bruce for Cabaret Scenes

Ladies and gentlemen! Las Vegas has arrived in Palm Beach!!!

Possessed of good looks and a terrific voice, Holmes seems to have an identity crisis vis-à-vis his choices.  The first half of his 65-minute set was a Sinatra homage.  One of the pitfalls of honoring an icon is that one is bound to have the unavoidable heinous comparisons.  To make these songs—”I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “All the Way,” “Night and Day,” et al.—his own, Holmes has opted to add hipper-sounding deliveries that, while entertaining, all sounded quite similar.

He was far more comfortable singing in French, and discussing innocent love in Paris.  This was the best opportunity to get beyond the slickness and get to really know him….and he was phenomenal. At this point Holmes lowered the velocity,  that was outsized for this venue,  and enchanted us with his memories as well as some simpler charming fare, including an original song about his idol, Belafonte, plus  his 2 1/2 million-seller “Playground in My Mind.”

An enjoyable evening —one that,  at its best,  let us into  Clint’s world. More of this would be appreciated.  Bottom line? A powerhouse performer I would truly like to get to know through a more personal repertoire.