I greatly enjoyed this hour of song. Rannells is one of the most enjoyable and entertaining performers around and his wit and charm are anchored by some impressive pipes and a lot of genuine feeling. Without pushing the emotion, he always moves me with his simple honesty (especially in something like the k.d.lang song or in the smash-up of "Your Fault" and "No More").
I loved that he did a Jacques Brel song ("Le chanson de Jacky") but he made a serious faux pas when he said- off the cuff- that the song was "written by a Frenchman". I could hear all of Belgium raising their voice in howls of protest! (Unless he was talking about the less famous co-writer Gérard Jouannest, who was indeed French. IS indeed French: he is still alive.)
I'd love to hear Rannells have a go at "Madeleine", another manic Brel/Jouannest composition with a little less weirdness and a bit more narrative structure.
Looking forward to another evening with him at 54 Below or somewhere nice and intimate. |
