Vonda Shepard: Feinstein’s at The Nikko
Vonda Shepard
Feinstein’s at the Nikko, San Francisco, CA, January 16, 2015
Reviewed by Steve Murray for Cabaret Scenes
After decades of touring, TV and stage success and charted songs, singer/songwriter Vonda Shepard has her formula down pat. Mixing hook-driven pop hits with boisterous blue-eyed soul belting, the talented Shepard rockshard and writes songs that creep into your psyche and right to your feet and hands. Her very distinctive vocal style and slamming piano skills are a merger of Jerry Lee Lewis and Carole King on steroids. “Hemispheres,” “In July,” “January,” and “Maryland” are all well-crafted pop compositions – tight and expressive tales of life on the road and the relationships between lovers. Her newer material is more funk and R&B-based, evidenced on “Need Your Love” which followed a blistering rendition of “Proud Mary.” It helps that her guitarist, James Ralston, played with Tina Turner for 22 years. Her encore of “Chain of Fools” put an exclamation point on a satisfying evening by an accomplished trouper.
Category: Cabaret Reviews
