By Michael Barbieri****Three fantastic voices and one masterful guitar! What else do you need for a perfect evening of cabaret? With their show, Clearly Now, the moment Lina Koutrakos, Sean Harkness and Marcus Simeone took to the stage at Don’t Tell Mama, it was clear that this was going to be something special!
Koutrakos–known for her whiskey-voiced blues numbers, torchy ballads and down home rock songs—teamed up with Simeone—known for his jazzy style and his often emotional, haunting delivery of searing love songs. They were joined by Harkness, a guitar virtuoso whose work transcends many genres. Together, they opened recently for the Australian soft rock band Air Supply. Their show at DTM was originally to have been entitled “3” and promised a selection of music by Toto, Natalie Cole, Otis Redding, Boz Scaggs, Bonnie Raitt and others. During rehearsals, however, they realized they were having lots of fun with various songs not in their original line up, so they jettisoned part of that first set list, added the alternates, and the show became Clearly Now!
Noticeable almost immediately was the ease of the singers’ partnership. These were three seasoned performers—three friends who were comfortable onstage and with each other. Their opening number, Lennon and McCartney’s “With a Little Help from My Friends,” suited the act perfectly and showcased not just their familiar rapport, but their nicely matched voices as well. The arrangement was funky and jazzy, with precise, gorgeous guitar work from Harkness, and some nice falsetto from Simeone. An interesting dissonant chord at the end of the number was also a fun surprise. It was a most impressive start!
As the evening progressed, it was also clear that the show was beautifully balanced, in that each performer had standout moments, yet not one of them ever stole focus. As the show was done just before Christmas, Harkness followed the opening number with what he called his favorite all purpose, non-denominational holiday song, an instrumental solo of “My Favorite Things.” Wonderfully un-Christmassy, his rendition of the Rodgers & Hammerstein classic had an almost Latin/Bossa Nova feel, yet stayed true to the spirit of the season. The show then shifted gears completely, with Koutrakos singing one of her own compositions, “Mess Outta Love,” a sexy, bluesy number with a wry undertone that she played to perfection. Next, Simeone’s visceral, soulful “Nobody’s Fault But Mine” (Otis Redding), was an unexpected surprise for me, as I was more accustomed to his softer, more romantic side. 
Other memorable moments included Koutrakos and Simeone duetting on the sorrowful and powerfully emotional “For Now” (Koutrakos, J. Rogers, D. Gross) and “Stormy Monday” (T-Bone Walker). This latter song felt almost improvised, in the best way. They clearly had fun as they traded thrilling, wailing vocals in a sort of call-and-response; Koutrakos even gave us a taste of her signature smoky growl. Also, in another stellar solo, Harkness demonstrated his guitar artistry with the self-penned “Nod to John,” a tribute to his musical hero, John Scofield, in which he plucked out gorgeous, insanely high notes and amazed the audience with his impressive fingering and brilliant dynamics.
Standing center stage, Koutrakos delivered one of the evening’s emotional gut punches with her sad, beautiful rendition of U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.” Her subtle acting and stunningly unadorned vocal gave us the feeling we were seeing and hearing a lost soul, searching for love, comfort, a better life… something. Simeone then bared his soul in “I’ll Never Love Again” (Lady Gaga, N. Hemby, H. Lindsey, A. Raitiere), from the recent remake of A Star Is Born. For anyone who knows of Simeone’s journey over the last few years, his performance of this song was especially heart-wrenching. With its mournful refrain of, “Don’t want to feel another touch/don’t want to start another fire/don’t want to know another kiss/no other name falling off my lips,” the song seemed to be flowing from his very being. It was so real, so raw and so vulnerable, it was as if he’d written the song himself! Both numbers were extraordinarily moving!
One of the things that made Clearly Now such a special show was how laid back and effortless it all felt. The simple, spontaneous f
eel of the evening spoke volumes about the talent and experience of the three performers. At one point, it seemed to me that this was a throwback to the folk music shows at the bohemian coffee shops of the 1960s. All that was missing were clouds of cigarette smoke and incense!
The three wrapped up the show with a couple of fantastic, upbeat numbers: “Diggin’ My Grave” (P. Kennerley), a soulful shouter with tight vocals from Koutrakos and Simeone and more wicked guitar work from Harkness, as well as a favorite of mine; “Baby You’re Mine” (Basia), which showed off the trio’s fantastic three-part harmonies; and as for their version of Johnny Nash’s “I Can See Clearly Now,” well, it was sheer harmony bliss!
Clearly Now is a show one could easily see again and again. I imagine the set list will change over time, depending on the time of year or the whims of the performers. Still, considering the awesome talents of Lina, Marcus and Sean, anyone wanting to see this show can be assured they’ll be in good hands and in for a good time!
Clearly Now returns to Don’t Tell Mama on February 23rd and March 9th at 7:00 pm. Koutrakos, Simeone and Harkness will also appear at Mark Janas’ Salon Open Mic on February 17th at 7:30 pm. For information, go to www.donttellmamanyc.com
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