Review: Todd Murray & Sean Harkness Deliver a Swoony (and Croony) Valentine's Day Show at the Metropolitan Room

When vocalist Todd Murray discovered several of the musicians for his excellent show Croon were unavailable for their scheduled Valentine's Day appearance last Sunday afternoon at the Metropolitan Room, he asked Sean Harkness (the guitarist in the show) to join him for a two-hander. The fortuitous accident yielded a terrific presentation of romantic material from sentimental to ardent, a pared down sharing of unadulterated heart and high musical craft that deserves wider audience. "It's our goal to put you in the mood," Murray tells us. They do.

We begin with a tender "I Brought You Violets For Your Furs" (Tom Adair/Matt Dennis) evoking faded photographs. Murray is deeply wistful. His three syllable "violets" makes the lyric more touching. Harkness deftly embroiders. It's a partnership of emotional and musical clarity.

Irving Berlin's "They Say It's Wonderful" (here, a bossa nova) and Hoagy Carmichael/Ned Washington's "The Nearness of You" emerge with long-lined phrasing whose notes seem to hang in the air bridging lyrics. One wants to snuggle into this voice like a soft, warm blanket. There's a pause in the second song after . . . When you're in my arms . . . and I feel you so close to me . . . where breath feels like a sigh. How Harkness manages to create symbiotic mood with so many more strokes than melody is a marvel.

The musician's jaunty ukulele makes "Dream A Little Dream" (Fabian Andre/Wilber Schwandt/ Gus Kahn) and "Learn To Croon" (Sam Coslow/Arthur Johnson): If you wanna win your heart's desire, just murmur ba ba ba boom ba ba boo (paraphrasing Bing Crosby at which Murray is skillful) infectiously pleasurable (as is the version on Murray's Croon CD version below). Watch Harkness's eyebrows rise. Murray manifests both lightness and investment--no easy task. There's a sweetness and authenticity often lost in the performance of these songs.

The show has little patter but for a few illuminating references to crooning and an explanation of the inspiration for Murray's own composition, "Patricia." The song was written for James Beard chef and writer, Patricia Wells, from whom Murray took a cooking course in Europe and with whom he became friends. (Wells and her husband are front and center for this show.) It's utterly charming with Cole Porter-like wordplay on the lady's name including, in part, I miss ya, dish ya, delicia, wish ya, and knish ya.

Highlights include Paul McCartney's "Silly Love Songs" sung by Harkness who also strums, pats wood, and picks, looping out and circling back on happy guitar, causing the room to fill with smiles. And a tandem "Love Me Tender" (Aura Lee/George Poulton/"Can't Help Falling in Love With You" (George Weiss/Hugo Peretti/Luigi Creatore) with Harkness and guest pianist Alex Rybeck as both accompanists and melting vocal backup. Murray's rendition is resonant. When he spreads his arms with . . . Take my whole life too . . . it's easy to conjure bobbysoxers fainting in the aisles. The artist makes even iconic songs seem personal. He never goes over the top or plays the technique card.

Stephen Hanks, Editor of the New York Cabaret section at Broadway World.com, then presented the website's 2015 NY Cabaret Awards to the gentlemen on stage: Alex Rybeck garnered Best Musical Director and the Editor's Award for Excellence in Songwriting. Todd Murray earned Best Show By A Male (for Croon) and Best Male Vocalist. Sean Harkness won the Editor's Award of Excellence in Musicianship for his Duet show with pianist Ian Herman. Hanks also gave the musician a guitar-theme 2016 calendar so everyone would receive two prizes.

Burt Bacharach/Hal David's "This Guy's in Love" floats on Rybeck's textured piano and Harkness' bass line underpinning. Murray's arms move only when impelled. The man could sell you a bridge. Unexpectedly changing octaves or coming at a phrase from the top rather than sliding in on its base line, he puts his mark on familiar material without rattling its meaning. An up tempo "Lover" (Richard Rodgers/Lorenz) closes the show in jazzier vein.

Less successful were a too fast, out of sync "Light My Fire" (Robby Krieger/The Doors) and a monotone "I'm Your Man" (Leonard Cohen) which loses its axis.

This show was a real treat. These two are swell together.

Photos by Takako Suzuki Harkness

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