With performances by Quincy Coleman (Los Angeles singer/songwriter with a country flair), Brandi Shearer (Oregon, farm-born sensual vocalist), and Kate Walsh (British folk-singer with a heart wrenchingly sweet voice who early on, let the crowd know that she does not appreciate being mistaken for Kate Nash), it appears to be ladies’ night at the Mercury Lounge in New York.
Taking the stage first, Quincy Coleman’s husky voice shatters the silence of the still, warm, spring evening. Coleman’s voice, sexual in its strength and sultriness, belts country songs, while sounding more suited for rock. Her country choices don’t move me, but when she opts for something a little less country, a little more rock and roll (and trumpeter Stuart Cole joins in), she really hits her stride. It’s not long before I’m sold on Coleman as a rock artist – if only she had spent more of her set as one.
Regardless of the genre, Quincy Coleman is a sultry singer. But she doesn’t hold a candle to Brandi Shearer, who turns up the heat as soon as she opens her mouth. With her overwhelmingly powerful, rich voice and half-lidded eyes, Shearer’s voice is sensual, sexual, and filled with raw emotion. Completely involved in her music, she shakes her head while singing lines like, “don’t apologize”. Throwing her head back, eyes closed, she presses her lips to the microphone, seducing not only those in the front few rows, but seemingly the entire audience, and perhaps some folks passing by on the street.
Shearer’s seduction is put on hold as the mood of her music changes, and she displays a bit of a ‘tude, angrily spitting lines like, “pay one million for you to shut your mouth”. Eyes shining with the reflection of the stage lights, she flourishes on stage. Her style flows from sensual to angry to sweetly optimistic, the varied sounds and styles keeping the crowd involved throughout.
In contrast to the two previous sexual performances, Kate Walsh’s performance is saturated with a sweet innocence. Quivering high notes draw the audience up with the music, holding it in rapt attention. Beginning each song with a brief explanation, Walsh suggests the importance of the story in her lyrics. They are about her life, her emotions. A talented storyteller and lyricist, Walsh sings of loves and losses that every girl in the room old enough to have loved relates to. Her open honesty rings true with the audience, who sits enthralled.
Walsh’s quiet, sweet voice belies her strength, which pulls the audience members into her world. Her lyrics flow over the audience, surrounding them in beautiful, softly delicate sound that creates a nearly tangible world, so real are the emotions she inspires with her words.
Walsh stands stationary before the crowd; the only motion her strumming of the guitar and subtle sway. In a venue where few seats are to be had, the audience members, surprisingly, are all seated. Sprawled across the floor, men and women alike sit quietly, listening like kindergarteners at story time. The evening ends and the audience members stir, as if awakening from a trance, so powerful is Walsh’s performance.
