Broadway World
MUTUAL ADMIRATION Is A CD For All Ages
By Stephen Mosher
Jun. 16, 2020
Mister D: I think yall would love this album and I hope you go to the link I provided by Amazon to hear snippets. Amazon is selling MP3s but you might be able to find a physical CD, I know, old school, at other places like CD Baby
When Ava and Charlo met, they explain to the live audience, there was a connection between the two and from that grew a friendship and an artistic partnership, both of which yield much bounty. This recording made at Feinstein’s at Vitello’s captures the spirit of their association and both ladies’ talent, with exceptional production from musical director Michael Collum & co., and cd editing/mixing/mastering by Miguelli Musica. Live recordings can be tricky, especially with two performers with rangey vocal techniques, and it is a testament to the musicians on the stage and the fingers on the mixing dials that the ladies’ voices are neither lost nor overpowering at any time. This is a bold pairing and they deserve the caring touch being provided by their team. With an obligatory establishing opening duet out of the way, the two women part company so that each of them can have a six-song set before joining forces for their final portion of the act, and at no time does the listener feel like they are being cheated or bored by the show format. This is a skillfully assembled night of musical storytelling, thanks to director Frank Silletti, and cabaret lovers will get their time and money’s worth from listening to the album.
Using music to share stories about their lives, these singers with bright, pleasant voices, good technique, and sweet harmonies, are funny while being genuine, cheeky while staying down-to-earth, and flashy while keeping it real. The stories shared during their (clearly rehearsed but) casual conversation with the audience are not life-altering – these aren’t watershed moments of which they speak, they are normal events in the life of a female entertainer; it doesn’t matter because Charlo and Ava are so delightful while chatting up the crowd that they might very well be talking about their last trip to the market or something they learned from a Youtube tutorial. The audience loves them, and so will newcomers hearing them for the first time on this CD. The chemistry between the two actresses definitely comes across during their time together, and the energy between each woman and the crowd is also palpable.
With Ava opening the show with music and rhetoric about life as a teenager and Charlo following her with reminiscences and tunes about the journey that brought her to this moment, it’s like we are taking a chronological trip in the life of one woman (in a way we are), the end result being two sides of the female life experience, told by Ava and Charlo together.
For her portion of the show, Ms. Frances is all youthful optimism, teenage angst, and hopeful dreams, with her remarkably pretty voice melding to the styles of each composer as a thoughtful emotional connection weaves within lyrics that, clearly, resonate with the young woman. The songs from Pirate Queen, Hairspray, Heathers and Mean Girls are not only age-appropriate but authentic to Frances’ aesthetic, showing versatility, efficacy, and acting chops, particularly when the material is character-driven. When taking on the pop smash “Beautiful” Ava Nicole proves she’s got pipes, but a big song that comes from a big singer can often carry the ghost of that singer with it, getting in the way of the song itself. Ms. Frances might consider revisiting the hit from within her own experience, allowing the story to stay inside of herself, telling it from her point of view, not that of Christina Aguilera. The result will be much more effective if kept personal and within her control – not everything need be epic, even though other people make it so.
What is epic is Ms. Frances’ closing number, a stunning mashup of “Over the Rainbow” and “Home” (see what she did there?) that might not work for every singer, but that is absolute perfection in this lady’s hands. The former song (a song this writer never wants to hear unless it’s a recording of Judy Garland) is performed with enormous tenderness, sublime sweetness, true heart, and touching wistfulness before segueing into the latter, with all the empowered, gospel-infused enormity people have come to expect, to require, to need from it. This medley is the magnum opus for which Ava Nicole Frances will come to be known, the song she will have to sing at every show, lest the crowd be devastated that she left it out.
In her remarks to the audience, Ava Nicole says she is proud to represent young people – but she isn’t really representing everyone. She represents youth, and it’s a good thing that young people, especially young women, have a role model, which she will be to those young women. But not all of those women have what she has. She can’t represent all of them because she clearly has something special, whether it is the talent with which she was born or the tenacity that led her to a focus of study so strong that she has nurtured her talent to this point. One suspects it is a combination of the two. This doesn’t come along every day.
Yielding the stage to her more seasoned co-star, Ava welcomes back Charlo Crossley, who will provide impeccable mentorship to Frances, as evidenced immediately by the fact that her prowess is showing, and it is dripping with jewels that look just like experience. Not just anyone can walk up on a stage and toss around a classic from The Great American Songbook with so smoothly balanced a mix of Broadway belt and jazz styling. Naturally, Crossley works with the likes of Gershwin, Mercer, and Arlen, but when she drops down into the pocket for her second number “Green Dolphin Street” it’s hard not to notice that Charlo Crossley is just a diva. This is a song that has been sung by many an artist but here is a rendition of the classic that is bright, uplifting, flamboyant, and exciting, with Crossley welcoming to the set some impressively enjoyable solos from the band. It’s actually a little hard to not hit the “back” button and play the track twice, but she’s so dang good you just have to keep moving forward and, boy, is it worth it.
Charlo’s set involves some seriously good music but what is particularly enjoyable is listening to the conversation with the audience, a chat that includes the sentence, “I won’t go into the hideous details, some of which are very funny.” Well, Charlo Crossley must put together a show of only storytelling immediately! This woman is so frank, so funny, so fun that the people will show up in droves to hear her talk about life, her life, and all the lessons she has learned along the way – she’s real, totally engaging, and oh, so relatable. Listen to the album, you’ll see.
Before asking Ava Nicole back to the stage, Charlo Crossley makes a nice, smooth transition from a ’60s pop song that the audience coos over the moment they hear the opening notes, to a medley of standards that everyone in the world knows. What makes the pairing of the two numbers so perfect is that “To Sir, With Love” represents all of us at that precipice upon which we stand just before adulthood, and “Drinking Again/One For My Baby” is a story we can neither tell nor relate to without the passage of a painful number of years. It’s like a musical Yin and Yang, flawlessly orchestrated to knock the listener from delicious pillar to delirious post.
Charlo is anti gay and I can not support her efforts.
Well, that’s up to you. I wouldn’t call her anti-gay or homophobic because she’s embraced gays throughout her life and does not hate them. She’s surrounded by them. What you have is a woman raised in the church who has a problem with gay marriage or whatever. You’ll find a lot of people still grapple with that and it can lead to all sorts of debates. But yes, there are religious people who do have an agenda of harm against us and they deserve the word homophobic. But her religious beliefs are hers, and it maybe it may seem archaic tp many, but that’s how she was raised and it’s deeply entrenched, but it’s laughable to call her anti-gay because she still holds us up with love. I’m not religious per se, but I’m not going to shun her because she doesn’t like/approve of one part of who I am. There’s a lot of people that don’t like certain parts of me, but I don’t write them off right away. especially, if they’ve shown me no harm otherwise. Charlo has nothing but love for gays (I’m sure not all of them. I may be on her shit list for all I know, but it won’t be because I/m gay. More like my big mouth on politics.) The people I call anti-gay and are worth my time fighting against is for those who hate us, bully us, beat us, and kill us, and Ms. Crossley does not fit in any of these categories. But you do you, but hopefully, you’ll take into account some of the things I said.
This a wonderful, inspired album by two soaring voices, raised in celebration of all communities, and indeed for equality for all. The musical artistry is just awesome, as the reviews have noted, in spades.
As for the comments about Ms. Crossley being unsupportive of the gay community, I can affirm that she is not only supportive, but is an advocate and ally. As a gay, married man who has worked closely with Ms. Crossley for some time now, I’ve gotten to know her well personally and professionally. She is superb in every way, and is a strong ally of the gay community. We need more people like her! (An aside, her co-star on this album, Ms. Frances, is the daughter of two gay married men.)
Cheers to this album, what it stands for, how beautiful and entertaining it is, and what it means in today’s world.
Thanks so much for your feedback
Just to let you know, this album is also available on iTunes as well.
Thanks Carl