Iris Williams: I Wish You Love

Candace Leeds | October 27, 2015

Iris Williams

I Wish You Love

Birdland, NYC, October 19, 2015

Reviewed by Candace Leeds for Cabaret Scenes

The stately Welsh singer, Iris Williams, made her Birdland debut as part of the Broadway at Birdland series, performing to an enthusiastic sold-out house. With her low-key charm, elegant presence, and lovely, deep-throated contralto voice, she truly inhabited each of her songs. She had the audience in the palm of her hand throughout the show. She became well known in the U.K. in the 1980s and came to the attention of Queen Elizabeth II, who awarded her an O.B.E. (Order of the British Empire) for her contributions to the field of music and to charity.

Presenting a perfectly paced program of works from the Great American Songbook, Williams included a Piaf medley and one of Harold Arlen material, and songs by Duke Ellington, Johnny Mercer, George Gershwin, and Yip Harburg. She had great fun with the Sinatra-recorded, “Nice ‘n’ Easy” (Lew Spence/Marilyn & Alan Bergman) and made “I’m Glad There Is You” (“In This World of Ordinary People”) by Jimmy Dorsey and Paul Madeira sparkle with her beautifully nuanced low-key style. Williams’ presentation of “Autumn Leaves” (Joseph Kosma/Jacques Prevert/Johnny Mercer), to which she added a verse in Welsh, was particularly powerful and moving.

She brought tears to the eyes of many in the audience with her moving tribute to the late Julie Wilson, singing “He Was Beautiful” (Stanley Myers/Cleo Laine). Her 1979 recording of that song earned her gold and platinum discs, as well as invitations to perform for the Queen, and numerous awards and accolades.

As she made her bows following her powerful finale, a lively “Remember Me” (Nick Ashford/Valerie Simpson), everyone in the audience jumped to their feet enthusiastically applauding. She laughingly declared, “In New York, it’s great to have a sitting ovation – but a standing ovation…wow!”

Iris Williams’ last New York show was in 2013, so we can only hope that she will appear more frequently on the cabaret scene.

Tags: Alan Bergman, American Songbook, Autumn Leaves, Birdland, Broadway at Birdland, Broadway Musicals, Cabaret, Cabaret Reviews, Cabaret Scenes, Candace Leeds, Cleo Laine, Clubs, Composers, Duke Ellington, E.Y. Harburg, George Gershwin, Great American Songbook, Harold Arlen, He Was Beautiful, I Wish You Love, I'm Glad There Is You In This World of Ordinary People, Iris Williams, Jacques Prevert, Jimmy Dorsey, Johnny Mercer, Joseph Kosma, Julie Wilson, Lew Spence, lyricists, Marilyn & Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, Marilyn Keith, Musicals, nice n easy, Nick Ashford, Nightclubs, NYC, O.B.E., Order of the British Empire, Paul Madeira, Popular Song, Queen Elizabeth II, Remember Me, Revues, Show Tunes, Sinatra, Singers, Songbook, Standards, Stanley Myers, Supper Clubs, Valerie Simpson, Venues, Vocalists, Yip Harburg