By Michael Barbieri **** In her recent show at the Triad Theater, Francesca Loeber proved, as the old saying goes, that big things often do come in small packages! Born and raised in New Jersey, Loeber, also known as “The Dawg,” is a singer/songwriter and graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts theater program. She’s appeared in productions of Into The Woods, Funny Girl, Little Shop of Horrors and Rent. She’s also recorded an EP, entitled Sanity and has sold out The Duplex here in NYC with her cabaret act. Loeber also is currently one of the fabulous singing servers at Ellen’s Stardust Diner.
With a petite frame, huge, expressive eyes behind oversized eyeglasses and loose blonde hair, which faded down to a blue ombré effect, Loeber looked like a cross between the world’s coolest librarian and a full-on emo rocker! Her set at the Triad, however, showed her crowd that she didn’t belong in a library; she belongs onstage!
Loeber shot right out of the gate with a high energy opening medley of Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” (Madonna, P. Leonard) and “Express Yourself” (Madonna, S. Bray). The moment the show began, she and her small, but mighty band—leader and bassist, Nick West; drummer: Samuel Martinelli and pianist, Vincent Ester, with backup vocalist, Nyseli Vega—filled the room with a huge rock sound that had the audience—myself included—dancing in our seats! She then moved on to a pair of songs by Michael Jackson. The first, “The Way You Make Me Feel,” displayed Loeber’s strong, confident belt, while the second, “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You,” showed off her quieter side, while still allowing for her crystal clear tones. And though she lost her pitch a bit shortly after the bridge of the latter song, she stayed focused and moved smoothly back on pitch at the modulation. Still, both pair-ups brought me back to the 1980s when MJ and Madonna were the ruling megastars.
We then heard “Killing Me Softly With His Song” (C. Fox, N. Gimbel). This was not the Roberta Flack version, but rather the hip hop arrangement recorded in 1996 by the Fugees. Funky and fun, Loeber’s cover maintained the R&B spirit of the more modern version, while still subtly acknowledging Flack’s original.
For full disclosure, rap is definitely not my thing. No matter what genre or context, be they recordings, television or Broadway, when I hear someone start to rap, my brain tends to shut down. Loeber’s show featured a lot of rap. Now, I’m not saying they didn’t do it well. On the contrary, they delivered all the rap lyrics very skillfully. British rapper Estelle’s “American Boy” came across as a sort of rap/jazz fusion and Qveen Herby’s “Sade in the 90s,” with its throbbing tempo, was introspective and witty. But Janelle Monae’s “I Like That” and Beyoncé’s “Deja Vu” just contained too much rap for my taste.
Loeber’s jazzier, more soulful selections, worked much better for me. Corinne Bailey Rae’s “Put Your Records On” (Rae, J. Beck, S. Chrisanthou) felt like a nice mix of jazz and rock, and featured a breathy, wavering Billie Holliday-esque vocal, which eventually transitioned into a huge, impressive vocal belt. And “Stargazer,” one of Loeber’s own compositions, had a smooth jazz feel, which, of course, suited her voice very well.
I did find the overall volume of the show to be far too loud throughout. The show started at about a “9,” went to “10” and stayed there. I don’t mind loud music, per se, but I would’ve liked occasional variations in the dynamics and a break from the volume. With Lake Street Drive’s “Good Kisser,” the band overpowered the vocals completely, and the aforementioned “Deja Vu” sounded as if it was being shouted. This was the first time I can remember leaving a cabaret venue with my ears ringing! In addition, I would’ve liked a little more patter. The structure of the show was just song after song after song, without any intros. It would’ve been nice to know why she had chosen certain songs, how they inspired her, or simply why she liked them. The result of this was that I came away having enjoyed some of her material, but not knowing anything about her.
The show wrapped up with some wonderful numbers that were definitely to my taste! We heard Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi” (S. Germanotta, R. Fusari), which was very faithful to the original recording and showcased some great three-part harmonies on the choruses. That led into Gaga’s “Perfect Illusion” (S. Germanotta, K. Parker, M. Ronson, M. Tucker). This pair-up was extremely enjoyable and showed how well Gaga’s songs sat on Loeber’s voice. We got more great harmonies on Florence and the Machine’s “Shake It Out” (F. Welch, P. Epworth). Then Loeber and her band kicked out all the stops with a fun, fresh “One Night Only” (T. Eyen, H. Krieger) from Broadway’s Dreamgirls. With this energetic closer, they started slowly on the first two verses, but then went into a lively dance tempo, and were even joined by a fabulous guest dancer, Jasmine Deville! By the end of the number, audience members were on their feet, cheering enthusiastically for Loeber and her band!
Francesca Loeber is quite a talent. She’s already quite accomplished, yet I look forward to seeing her progress as an artist and performer. I do hope that the next time I see her sing, I learn more about the person behind the performer.
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