|
It’s not
often you witness a performer who mixes
elements of Mick Jagger’s sinuous sexuality
with David Bowie’s glam-rock posture and
combines them with Prince’s seriously funky
songwriting skills, but that’s what emerged
during Gavin Creel’s Monday night
performances at Arlene’s Grocery this
November. Trained at the University of
Michigan, Mr. Creel has been in New York for
a few years now, appearing in Batboy and
Hair, as well as La Cage aux Folles, and
earning a Tony nod for his performance in
Broadway’s Thoroughly Modern Millie, but
according to Mr. Creel’s website (www.gavincreel.com),
it’s his own music which matters much to him
right now. For those accustomed to hearing
Creel sing sweet-and-bubbly, jazz-age
musicals, Creel’s own material is equally
romantic, though with a more propulsive and
ass-thumping beat. Along with co-writer
Robbie Roth, Creel’s songs often dispense
with pronouns so that the longing and the
heartache, the loss and the joy of life, is
accessible to all. While his set at Arlene’s
did not find him this time at the piano,
Creel has, at other concerts, sat down at
the keyboard to sing his heartfelt songs in
his tenderly sexual voice. Creel’s clever
and touching songwriting is limned with
humor and romance, affording a glimpse not
only into his heart, but also his head, and
it’s not unusual to hear elements of other
gifted singers, such as Sam Harris, Patti
Labelle, Wilson Pickett, in Creel’s
performances – but in the end, what makes
Gavin Creel such a performer to watch is how
he manages to integrate all of his many
antecedents with such charismatic
originality. A voice to watch may seem like
a mixed metaphor – but Gavin Creel possesses
that very potent combination.
|
