Staff Blog
Zee Avi, 7/23 @ First Unitarian Church
posted by Brion Shreffler
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| Photos by Brion Shreffler |
More textured with each rise though still incredibly smooth
The small crowd, packed in their pews in the intimate setting, came to quiet, Zee’s opening delivery nuanced and plangent while her eyes cast a soothing gaze. She had the presence — and sound — of a grandmotherly jazz singer dripping with nostalgia and wisdom. The music came in and we were off, following her voice which rode upon the soft trilling of her guitar, the melodies a perfect foil to send her soaring, her voice, on a heavily country number, fit for a wide angle shot in film traversing a wondrous vista. The amazing thing was that Zee, renowned for the depth she’s capable of at 23, so deftly accessed a retinue of emotions with great subtlety on her most upbeat tracks (i.e. “Honey Bee,” “The Traveler”), that varied from jazz backed numbers to a Malaysian island backed sound aided by her ukulele. A quivering emotion was sensed in the chorus for “Bitter Heart,” her voice more textured with each rise though still incredibly smooth. She didn’t simply recall Patsy Cline or June Carter Cash, she quite readily displayed their range while treating us to her unique sound. She ended with two transformative reinventions; The Clash’s “I Fought The Law” was given an island sway and her soulful “First In Gang To Die,” (Morrissey) was jaw-dropping, leaving us to feel that it wasn’t “Hector” who “stole our hearts away.”
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