Alan Cumming: Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs Live at the Café Carlyle
Alan Cumming
Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs
Live at the Café Carlyle
(Yellow Sound Label)
April 4, 2016
Reviewed by John Hoglund for Cabaret Scenes
The measure of a singer’s worth is in the ear of the beholder. There’s no magic formula to being one of the greats. All one can do is be dedicated to the art and not be afraid to tell the truth.
Alan Cumming doesn’t choose the easy way out. In an age where there is a dearth of honesty and originality in nightclubs, the Scottish actor/singer/writer has made his mark.
This album captures one of today’s great performers at his peak. It’s all wildly entertaining. The selections are as eclectic as Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb” (John Mabe/Jessi Alexander), Rufus Wainwright’s “Dinner at Eight” and Sondheim’s “Ladies Who Lunch.” That’s just for starters on this 27-cut CD, which includes patter from the show.
Often, when a Broadway/TV star presents a cabaret concert, one expects a reprise of past hits or a bunch of show tunes in a mash up with some backstage gossip thrown in. Cumming is not known for the obvious. Opening with a soaring reading on Annie Lennox’s impassioned “Why,” it’s obvious this is the start of a bumpy journey. It is followed by a starkly personal “Somewhere Only We Know” (Tom Chaplin/Richard Hughes/Tim Rice-Oxley) as he introduces himself and lets us know he only sings songs he connects with on an emotional level. He alerts the audience to “have a hankie at the ready.”
Having returned to the role of the Emcee in Cabaret at Studio 54, he tells of the after parties that began in his dressing room, where colleagues and friends hung out. Some brought him songs he fell in love with. It was called Club Cumming. The Carlyle show is an extension of that madness. Ultimately, Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs is a collection of terrific sonnets and show-stoppers from the theater and pop world, backed by three musicians—Lance Horne on piano (also musical director/arranger/backup vocals/co-producer with Michael Croiter), Eleanor Norton on cello and Chris Jego on drums and guitar. Cumming doesn’t just perform them or sing them in an exceptionally expressive voice, he digs so deep one can feel his heart racing with emotion. Such is his art that he gently molds each lyric into the most intimate moment and captures the heart before it explodes.
A master interpreter, Alan Cumming is not afraid to wear that heart on his sleeve. That is what makes an honest performer and the reason this lad from across the pond is the giant he is.
Category: Music, Music Reviews, New York City, New York City Music Reviews, Regional
