Review: Natalie Douglas Defies Explanation in BEST OF TRIBUTES: THE WOMEN at Birdland Theater

Natalie Douglas was excited to be on stage. She was returning to Birdland Theater on Oct. 1, 2021, in "Best of Tributes: The Women", with a show that sampled songs from tribute shows she had previously created for Dolly Parton, Nina Simone, and Roberta Flack. The award-winning performer was in excellent spirits as she came onto the stage and greeted the audience. Missing a cue at the beginning of the first song, she laughed it off, restarted, and dove into Dolly Parton's "9 to 5," which was a perfectly exuberant and jaunty song to kick off the evening.

Douglas is a vibrant performer; she inhabits the stage as though it's just a couch at her best friend's house, exuding comfort and easing into conversation. She truly makes you feel like she's having a one-on-one conversation with you, not putting on a show for a packed house. It seems as though she is fully herself in front of the audience; there's no hint of artifice or showmanship, just an extremely talented woman bestowing her voice on her friends. As she was about to launch in the 12th song, the "final" song, she joked about how of course it wasn't really the last song of the set, as there would be an encore. She teased the audience about it being a cabaret open secret and joked as if we were all friends so she could be honest with us.

Between Douglas and music director Mark Hartman, the amount of talent on stage was honestly intimidating. Many of the songs held moments in which Hartman could show off his skills and it was truly a beautiful collaboration between the two. Douglas often smiled in the middle of her songs, indicating just how pleased and joyful she was to be performing this set.

When introducing "House of the Rising Sun," a song that has been covered many times by many different artists, Douglas shared that her favorite version was Nina Simone's. She showcased her huge range and impressive ability to hit super low notes as well as big, powerful tunes in one song. Her take on "Jolene" was absolutely stunning, a true celebration of Dolly Parton's artistry and original work that nonetheless has a very "Natalie Douglas" spin on it. She also sang "Tryin' Times," which Roberta Flack, whom Douglas described as the "queen of duets," performed with Donny Hathaway.

When she sang "Farther Along," a hymn that she said "sums up the Eastern definition of karma, but in Christian," the layers of meaning in the lyrics bled through her voice. Douglas' voice is rich and resonant, perfect for songs like that one. She also spoke about Nina Simone's "Mississippi Goddam" after singing it, sharing that Simone wrote the song in 30 minutes as an outpouring of rage over attacks on Black people in the South. Douglas expressed awe at Simone's "genius" and the "magic" that it took to take rage and horror and turn it into something beautiful.

The encore song, "The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face," ended the night on a magical swing. Douglas is the kind of performer who is hard to review, because she's so undoubtedly talented and good at what she does - the singing, sharing, entertaining, all of it - and frankly how can my words do her music justice? They can't: she has to be seen to be believed.

More information about Douglas, including upcoming shows, can be found here.

Photo by Helane Blumfield

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