Mary Bogue: One Night of Sin
Mary Bogue
One Night of Sin
The E Spot Lounge, North Hollywood, CA, February 13, 2017
Reviewed by Elliot Zwiebach for Cabaret Scenes
Mary Bogue
Mary Bogue is a passionate woman, and it shows in everything she sings. Whether dealing with love, sex, sincerity, frustration, sadness or any combination thereof, she convincingly conveys what the lyrics say and makes sure her audience believes it as well—a feat she demonstrated consistently in a show geared to introducing two EP albums, the bluesy One Night of Sin and the jazzy Blue Smoke.
With a stage persona that ranged from femme fatale to coquette, Bogue was always in the moment and clearly enjoying herself—whether offering tender sincerity on “Don’t Explain” (Billie Holiday/Arthur J. Herzog Jr.), pounding away on “Rock Me Baby” (B.B. King/Joe Josea) or building from a mellow tone to an all-out wail on “Night Life” (Willie Nelson),
The show featured a couple of solid ballads with lyrics by Tom Culver, who was in the audience: “Endlessly,” a song with a smooth bossa beat that he wrote with the late Effie Joy; and “Blue Smoke,” a noirish, haunting song that he wrote with Steve Rawlins, Bogue’s musical director for the evening. Bogue was especially strong on the latter, which suits her intimate, passionate vocal style extremely well.
Guest performer Larry Davis did that “thing” that has made him one of the most popular singers in Southern California, singing “Always on My Mind” (Johnny Christopher/Mark James/Wayne Carson) in his deep, deliberate, almost rubato style—as if preaching a sermon—while using his body to milk every emotion out of the lyrics.
Bogue joined Davis for Lil Green’s “Romance in the Dark”—standing behind him and letting her hands wander along his torso while grinding away with her own body—with terrific support from Rickey Woodard’s sexy sax. In a similar vein, she soloed on “I’m a Mighty Tight Woman” (Sippie Wallace), directing the suggestive lyrics to each of her musicians, abetted by powerful backing from Nolan Shaheed on trumpet.
She softened the mood with a swinging “No Moon at All” (Redd Evans/David A. Mann), followed by Cole Porter’s “Love for Sale” in a sensitive, pensive reading that started slowly and built to a full-out belt.
The musicians were superb, with the blues portion of the show featuring Karen Hernandez on piano, Jack LeCompte on drums, Woodard on tenor sax and Richard Simon on bass, with Rawlins conducting. The jazz set featured Rawlins on piano, Shaheed on trumpet and Simon on bass, plus Gordon Peeke on drums and Grant Geissman on guitar.
Category: Cabaret Reviews, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Cabaret Reviews, Regional
