Julia Nixon
Singer/songwriter Carole King’s songs have been a part of the American landscape for over 40 years now; so it seems right that someone would put together a tribute show to her for their latest solo cabaret act. Singer Julia Nixon you might know from Caroline or Change at Studio Theatre or one of her many area concert appearances. She has a vocal quality that falls somewhere between Dionne Warwick and Eartha Kitt.
Backed by a five piece band that included her son Nicholas Nixon playing conga at the Mansion at Strathmore, Nixon took a stab at King’s wide musical repertoire meeting with only moderate success.
First off anytime you put together a cabaret type of act the first thing is to be comfortable with your material. You want to give the audience a nice musical experience. Nixon’s singing was actually quite good on a bunch of King’s songs like “Smackwater Jack” and “It’s Too Late” but I question how much time she gave to learning the material. My suspicion came clear to me when I realized that she had the lyrics in front of her for most of her concert and made no attempt in some cases to hide the fact that she was reading the lyrics right off the page. I was very surprised to see this happening on an easy song like King’s classic “I Feel the Earth Move.”
…Nixon came alive without the aid of anything and delivered pitch perfect and powerful renditions of these songs.
It wasn’t all like that though. Nixon was considerably more comfortable with the title tune from King’s landmark album Tapestry, and she was in particularly good voice on a song from King’s album Rhymes and Reasons, called “Been to Canaan.” These were the two instances where Nixon came alive without the aid of anything and delivered pitch perfect and powerful renditions of these songs.
Backing Nixon was a talented five piece band made up of Gary Grainger (Bass), Greg Grainger (Drums), Nixon’s son Nicholas (vocals and conga), Orville Saunders (Guitar), and Dave Ylvisaker (Piano/Keys/Vocals). The band knows how to rock and take their solos. You haven’t lived until you’ve watched a guitarist play the guitar over his head and behind his back without missing a note. That is some accomplishment (really it is).
Julia Nixon’s breathy voice and passionate stage presence is suited to Carole King’s songbook. With more preparation, Nixon could really shine in showcasing the work of one of our greatest composer/pop singers, Carole King.
Running Time: One hour and 40 minutes with one intermission.
Julia Nixon Tribute to Carole King was a one night two performance engagement at the Mansion at Strathmore on Nov 1st 2013. For upcoming events at Strathmore click here.
