Review: SAMANTHA SIDLEY Brings “Something Cool” With Her Open Queerness And Her Smooth Jazz Stylings To The Stage At The Green Room 42

Heigh-Ho, My Merry Rainbow Tribe! Bobby Patrick your RAINBOW Reviewer here. Putting the silent T in cabareT to bring you all the T!

This time we are all about the JAZZ my angels. Samantha Sidley, a petite, gorgeous & queer jazz singer graced the stage at The Green Room 42 Thursday night for the first of 3 performances scheduled there this weekend. We were a small but proud crowd gathered to hear a lady whose look and sexy charm were reminiscent of Michelle Pfeiffer in The Fabulous Baker Boys but with a vocal range that dipped down to Diana Krall-ville just as easily as it soared back up into Ella-Land. In fact, while Bobby would never be so RUDE as to guesstimate a lady's age in print, Ms. Sidley is young -- young enough that the range, skill, and power of her voice was an unexpected surprise. Always in complete control of her instrument, this lady's vocal gifts would seem to belong to someone further down the road of life than she would appear to be. Her extremes of vocal dexterity allowed her to express notes with real passion as well as a sexy come-hitherness in the moments when she dipped into her low whispering tones - which she did often. When she talked to her audience, she exhibited a deceptive brand of star quality. Sidley commanded her stage and demanded her audience's attention in a somewhat demure and soft-spoken way that made us come to her. With "her little black dress on" and a matching bow in her blonde hair, the tiny powerhouse simply stood at her mic, entrenched in her music, with her expressive hands and arms helping to give visible life to her notes as she savored each and every sound she made with her musicians.

For all her sexy coolness though, her performance was right out front - bold, daring, and original. She completely redefined her opening number, SOMETHING COOL, making it all her own in a manner that made it sound like a completely new song. Coasting somewhere between the jazz of today and the pop world of the 60s, her amalgamation in sounds was perfect for the 2020s. In fact, her stylings ran an amazing gamut from jazz to swing to pop and even to the Broadway, BUT, because those stylings were so rooted in the vocalizations to be found in the works of great jazz artistes of days gone by, we have to say this lady is one of a NEW generation of great jazz singers. When it came time for her signature song, I LIKE GIRLS - by her uber-talented wife and drummer, Barbara Gruska - she had her crowd so entranced and under her jazzy spell, pronouns no longer mattered - whether you like girls, boys or upright basses didn't matter - all that mattered was floating away on her beautifully floated notes... and then there was tap dancing. No FOR REALS, as Sidley introduced I LIKE GIRLS, out came her bestie, So You Think You Can Dance veteran Melinda Sullivan, who added to Gruska's percussion rhythms by slapping some amazing taps. (Those readers who don't know Bobby don't know that Tappy Make Me Happy!) As she moved through her wife's NAKED TO LOVE to SO THIS IS LOVE (from Disney's Cinderella) to EASY TO BE TRUE, without a pause, one saw her go deeper into her music, loving each note, but with such depth of feeling that, though her eyes remained closed, we remained enfolded in the blanket of her music as she took care of all of us. Her medley of Que Sera Sera and C'est Magnifique took these familiar songs, married them to her musical virtuosity, and created something so original that the music became a hymn with a range and beauty that was a religious experience.

With some of the finest support we've ever heard coming from her lady love on drums, Dan Reckard (musical director, pianist, and SEXY saxophonist), Vikram Devasthali (trombone, guitar... and whistling!) and Logan Cole (bass), the lady's program of just a few covers and the rest original work penned for her debut album, INTERIOR PERSON by Grushka, Inara George and Alex Lilly, all combined to give her a sound as wonderfully versatile as the moods she conveyed. Her own musicianship on each song thrilled her listeners with arrangments that were sometimes laid back and cool, and sometimes outright driving and hot... so hot that halfway through her show, even though Bobby does not drink, I needed me a scotch and a man - and for that (cuz that's enough) Bobby gives Samantha Sidley his full 5 out of 5 Rainbows.

Samantha Sidley is not to be missed, so don't miss her next 2 performances at The Green Room 42... GET TICKETS HERE... NOW!

Samantha Has A Webby: HERE
Follow Her Insta: HERE
Tweet Her On The Tweeter: HERE
Bookmark Her On Your Spotify: HERE
See Her Performing Live On The YouTubes: HERE
And Followe Her On Ye Olde FaceBooke: HERE

AND YOU MUST...

Buy Her Album, INTERIOR PERSON: HERE
Stream INTERIOR PERSON: HERE

*All Photos By Yours Truly, Bobby Patrick

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