A HIGH VOICE, SOME HIGHLIGHTS,
AND A HIGH-SPIRITED CROWD

If you were shopping for the most versatile fantasy fabric for fashioning a fabulous outfit, imagine it by checking each of these boxes:

✅ … something smooth as silk,

☑️ … something warm as wool,

✅ … stretchable as elastic,

☑️ … solid as denim,

✅ … soft as cotton,

☑️ … shiny as gold, and

✅… sparkly as sequined shantung.

Then, some chiffon that will float and swirl in the air might be something extra to sew on (and so on and so on).

Singer Jimmie Herrod’s remarkable voice has those qualities our idealized material might have. Speaking of “material,” let’s discuss the musical material he picked for his tapestry of styles for a January 18 return to 54 Below in Manhattan.

The well-received set included a lot of lighter youth-oriented commercial pop recorded by female vocalists. “You know I love my divas!” he cooed at one point. He and plenty of people in the audience seemed to like dwelling on hits by the likes of Kylie Minogue, Madonna, Mariah Carey, and Taylor Swift for some devotional dives into diva territory. Songs he penned himself were in the mix, too, favoring a pop/R&B feel. But, oh!, when the fellow turns his talents to the most sophisticated, poignant, theatrical, or emotionally dense choices, the show ascends to new heights. When there was a reference to fans who became aware of the singer when he competed on TV’s America’s Got Talent, winning favor with judges and viewers with soaring renditions of “Tomorrow” from Annie and “Pure Imagination” from Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, applause indicated that admirers of those television performances were in the house, but those showpieces weren’t in this show. Another contestant from that program, Brooke Simpson, came onstage for an entertaining duet of “Rather Die Young,” a power ballad introduced and co-written by Beyoncé.

Confident and comfortably strutting, sashaying, and playing with the audience, you might call him “Jimmie with a Shimmy.” His sound can be ethereal when vocals climb into the stratosphere in falsetto and even whistle tones. There’s a lot of legato, miles of melisma, and vocal lines swirl and sway, lower notes rumble richly, with inventive re-shapings and ornamentations of melodies and rhythms. The honeyed Herrod timbre is a pleasure to hear whether what greets one’s ears are simple words, intricate lines, scat-singing syllables, or words in Japanese, all of which were filling the air. Patter was loose and casual.

He treated the crowd to selections from his first full-length recording, Pretty Is What Changes, devoted to the songs of Stephen Sondheim. And, my goodness, these samples were indeed “pretty” and full of “changes” to the structures – very much reinventions. While there have been many covers of items from Sondheim scores – including plenty of live performances at 54 Below – the night’s numbers were not the ones that are typically trotted out. Bravo for these refreshing choices so deftly done: “Wait” from Sweeney Todd and “Stay with Me” from Into the Woods. If much of the evening’s other musical cuisine was pop that is the equivalent of popcorn, selections from the recent release were like caviar. Some of the simpler, repetitive pop material with lyrics that repeat and repeat (and repeat) may not be musically or dramatically rich enough to deserve his fancy whipped-cream touches, explorations, experimenting and expansions. Gorgeous Christmas wrapping paper is sometimes more attractive than what’s inside the box. Oh, and Jimmie Herrod thinks outside the box when he tackles songs you thought you knew.

There was even more striking standout adventurousness with the muscular and dense playing by jazz pianist Andy Ezrin whose work and energy were given due time, attention, grateful praise, and audience applause. He gave over the keyboard to the vocalist who accompanied himself effectively on “Every Time,” introduced on the album Velvet Rope by Janet Jackson (another of his favorite divas).

The encore was a major highlight: the sorrowful classic from the 1950s, “Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most,” tenderly phrased, revealing the heart and heartbreak Herrod has to express. A perfect ending!

Jimmie Herrod is on tour, doing solo shows, symphony dates, and guesting with the group Pink Martini. For more info, including clips of music performances, see Jimmie Being Jimmie