Diva Tuesdays

After an early evening nap on Tuesday, I decided to brave a second night of freezing temperature. This time, I went to the Painted Lady to see some local female singers on Viva Tuesdays. But first, I ordered a quick dinner from the bar. Some of the dishes sounded rather unappetizing such as the White-trash Tacos (Fritos and Cheez Whiz). I finally settled on a pulled pork sandwich ($11). It was average fare and the cutting board presentation made eating the salad a chore.

Sarah Burton started the evening with some countrified music. Though there were some bland country-pop songs, most of her tunes were gritty and bluesy. The bassist did an admirable job laying down the groove, and even played most solos, but her music needed a bigger (live) band to really give it some muscle. In contrast, Kendal Thompson was all about the smooth urban pop sound. She had a good voice and kept the melisma under control. Her set comprised a few originals and 2 covers including Beyonce's Halo. But her songs had the verbose, prose-like lyrics of many modern pop songs which as a genre, lack that evocative poetry.

The stand-out tonight was Suzana D'amour. Having just returned from Berlin after 3 months, her trio evoked that European combination of musical theatre and pop. Her songs, a number of which had French verses, were dense and lyrical. Though the arrangements varied from slow waltz to fast ditty, her emotive voice and frequent hand gestures anchored the set in the tradition of Piaf or Minelli. This was a veteran performer with an assured stage presence. She should consider making Berlin and Europe her permanent base. Her brand of "cabaret" pop is likelier to fill halls there (see Canadian songstress chinawoman) than here in indie-rock Toronto.