Before an enthusiastic crowd at the Soiled Dove Underground, New York Voices member Lauren Kinhan displayed her prowess as a powerful solo artist. As part of a tour supporting her newest solo CD, “Avalon”, the repertoire included nearly all of the songs from that album, but Kinhan also included a selection from her first solo CD, a new original and a classic standard.
Pianist/vocalist Peter Eldridge, who performs with Kinhan in NYV and Moss, anchored the backup band, which included Bob Rebholz on saxophones and flute, Mark Simon on bass and Paul Romaine on drums. The band played with remarkable cohesion, despite the fact that they had only seen the arrangements for the first time that afternoon. As Rebholz said to me after the set, Kinhan’s and Eldridge’s clear and well-written charts were an important ingredient in the excellence of the performance.
At the beginning of the set, the songs seemed to hew to the recorded performances. But in the fourth number, “Dory And A Single Oar”, Kinhan and Rebholz exchanged improvised ideas, and the entire band seemed to loosen up. Later, on a sassy Latin version of “Alone Together”, all of the members of the band got solo turns, with Kinhan contributing a brilliant scat solo. In tribute to a troop fighting in Afghanistan, Kinhan videotaped one of the numbers from her set. Her rocking version of “Savor The Wine” will be sent as a card to these brave soldiers. Other highlights included a new rubato ballad by Kinhan and Eldridge, “The Deep Within”, and a joyous version of “Here Is My Avalon” with impressive background vocals by Kinhan’s young daughter, Ella.
From the gathering of well-wishers after the performance, it’s clear that Kinhan has many friends here in Denver. It’s also clear that she makes new friends whenever people hear her sing. Let us hope that returns to Denver in the near future.
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