Album Review: Robert Bannon Captures Lightning In A Bottle With REWIND - LIVE IN CONCERT AT THE GREEN ROOM 42

If you listen to his earlier album, UNFINISHED BUSINESS, you might get a sense of who Robert Bannon is as a musical artist.  It is traditional cabaret fare, sometimes croon-ish, sometimes jazz-y, and always very pretty (he has a very pretty voice, easy to enjoy), and it’s a good calling card for any artist working in cabaret.  Listening to the album is just a really lovely, laid-back experience.

And that is not what you got on his latest album, a live recording of his cabaret show titled REWIND.

Recorded just over a year ago in October 2022 at The Green Room 42, REWIND (the show) is the SNL alum’s look back at his life.  He covers his formative years, his family life, his upbringing, his self-realization, his early dating life (really early), his queer blossoming, and the artists/pop culture that have made him the performer and the man that he is today.  REWIND (the record) is an excellent cast recording that tells the listener everything they missed by not being in the room with him at the performance.  It also tells the listeners of Unfinished Business a little more: Robert Bannon isn’t a cabaret singer.  Oh, he sings cabaret.  He also sings jazz.  And, like any proper gay man of a certain age, he sings musical theater.  But Robert Bannon is also a pop singer.

Like a flourish from a properly directed gay man doing a nightclub act, Robert Bannon starts his album with “I’m Still Standing” (Elton John/Bernie Taupin) and the vocals are pure pop.  As a matter of fact, Bannon sounds, at times, eerily reminiscent of Elton John, himself.  There is maybe a little more sliding of notes than Sir Elton would do, but that occurs throughout the album - maybe it’s a style that Robert Bannon likes.  It takes a little getting used to but Bannon’s commitment to all of the music and to all of the lyrics is so admirable, and his voice is so pretty, that it is both easy and a pleasure to take the time to become accustomed to the sliding.  That opening number is so ferocious in such a festive way that you feel like you’re listening to a live rock concert recording.  That is certainly helped along by the band playing behind Bannon - they sound fantastic, and the album technicians have managed to keep all of the performers sounding perfectly balanced and in the audible spotlight (engineer - Sheridan Glover, mixer/master - Yasuhiko Fukuoka).  The whole album sounds great, and the show sounds like it was great, too.  Press materials for the project list the album producers in this order: Robbie Rozelle, Yasuhiko Fukuoka, and Robert Bannon.  Surprise: this is a family affair.   Robbie Rozelle is Robert Bannon’s show director and Yasuhiko Fukuoka is Robert Bannon’s show musical director.  The three artists obviously work well together because everything captured on this live recording is just right.  Hopefully, the trio will stick together in the long term and keep creating shows and CDs of this caliber.

So what makes the quality of REWIND so good?  Aside, that is, from the excellent producing and technological work on the album, why is Rewind a record that people will want to listen to?  Well, that’s all Robert Bannon himself.  The show, the story, HIS story, is very well told (the monologues sound like they have been trimmed for the recording) in a way that tells you who he is, what brought him to today, and how the people in his life helped him along the way.  Every reference to a family member is steeped in love, and respect, and a lot of humor.  All of the pop-culture references, from Blockbuster Video to 8 Track tapes, are overrun with nostalgia.  Those truncated monologues are full of funny, ever-excited, and all about authenticity.  You can’t help but like Robert Bannon, and don’t even try to resist, just go with it.  He is flat-out ADORABLE.   I mean, only the truly adorable would conceive to do a “Muppet Medley” and “Nine To Five” (Dolly Parton) while also going off on amazing tangents about Liza Minnelli and Barry Manilow.  Robert Bannon lives in some kind of gay heaven, and that’s what he gives his audience.  Why do people still sing “But The World Goes ‘Round” (Kander/Ebb), when it’s already been done right?  Well, Robert Bannon did it because he can - it’s one of the best cuts on the album.  And how many Barry Manilow songs can YOU cram into one (perfectly arranged) “Barry Manilow Megamix”?  I won’t tell you how many Robert Bannon managed, you can count them for yourself, but it is an impressive lot, and the Megamix is one toe-tapping, body-swaying, smile-inducing six-and-a-half minutes.  There is a lot of fabulosity here.

There isn’t only flash and flamboyance and glittering and being gay, though.  There is a lot of whimsy here, but there is a lot of heart here, too.  Robert’s tribute to his father is very touching, including the unusual and interesting mashup of a “Cat’s In The Cradle” (Harry Chapin/Sandra Chapin) and “I Think He Knew” (Matt Gould/Griffin Matthews), all of his stories are very clearly straight from the heart (and real life), and his final monologue (and final number by Peter Allen and Dean Pitchford) might actually make you cry.  In fact, from the second you push the Play button to the time the album ends, you just can’t help but fall in love with Robert Bannon, and you just can’t help but kick yourself for missing the performance.  But there’s always going to be another Robert Bannon performance, so catch the next one, and follow him on Spotify so you can enjoy all of this really delightful cabaret/pop singer that is now one of this reviewer's favorites.

The REWIND band: Yasuhiko Fukuoka on piano, David Cinquegrana on guitar, Simon Fishburn on drums, and Wesley Bourland on bass.

Follow Robert Bannon at these links:

Spotify - HERE

Website - HERE

Instagram - HERE

Facebook - HERE

YouTube - HERE

TikTok - HERE

Robert Bannon will be at Chelsea Table + Stage on December 9th at 7 pm.  TICKETS

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