Review: D. Scott Eads Brings LEGACY IN THE KEY OF BING to Sterling's

Legacy in the Key of Bing can only mean the affable, charming Bing Crosby who swooned millions of people on the radio with only his voice. D. Scott Eads has been a fan of Crosby since his childhood, growing up in West Virginia, and with his clean good looks and smooth vocal instrument is the ideal choice to replicate the icon's music. On Sunday September 30, Eads brought his lovely show to Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal with a sold out house well in advance of the performance. Backed by a four piece band with expert musical director Rich Eames at the piano, and with special guest stars Laura Dickinson and Will Collyer, the show hit the ground running for a rollicking 75-minute spin.

This is Eads' cabaret debut and for a first timer, he did wonderful work. Friendly and warm with his audience, he oozed charm from every pore, keeping his stories to a minimum, concentrating on Crosby's era in music. The music was the main course, and it seemed that most of Crosby's repertoire received loving attention. Songs like "Sweet Georgia Brown", "Blue Skies", "Swanee", "Swingin' On a Star", "Pennies From Heaven", of course his signature tune "White Christmas" and even his vaudeville days with "Ten Ten from Tennessee" and "Is You Or Is You Ain't My Baby?" gave the show the variety that it needed. I saw one flaw. "There's No Business Like Show Business" opened the set and it would have been nice to see Eads enter from the back of the room and make his way through the auditorium, greeting his guests in a more personal manner. Staying on stage and letting people come up to him is OK, but mingling adds a nice touch. His voice was at its best on the upbeat numbers like "...Georgia Brown"and performing with his guest stars was the most winning part of the show.

Laura Dickinson, always a resourceful singer/actress in LA musical theatre, served as his Rosemary Clooney, essaying a beautiful "Tenderly" and then later dueting with Eads on "Slow Boat to China" and "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To". Dickinson added a grounded, sincere quality to the show, kind of like Rosemary did whilst performing with Bing. Will Collyer, sidekicking as Eads' Frank Sinatra, is also a musical force to be reckoned with. He performed a bright and breezy "I've Got the World on a String" and then dueted with Eads on a terrific "Me and My Shadow", where both got the chance to sashay about with a few fun dance moves.

Eads doesn't sound exactly like Crosby nor does he try to do an impression. He has the relaxed natural quality to his delivery that makes the whole experience of the era pleasant to listen to. That's as close to Crosby as he needs to get. It was a memorable evening with Eames on the keys, Dori Amarillo on guitar, Gary Wicks on bass and Greg Sadler on drums. The combo was a perfect match for the material, making the music soar. "I'll Be Seeing You" was Eads' encore and I couldn't help but think that yes, indeed, hopefully we'll be seeing a lot more of him on the cabaret scene.

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Just a word or two about the food and service at Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal. There has been a great improvement in the quality of the food. Burgers have always been a favorite, but dinners like salmon with mashed potatoes and veggies and meatballs with sauce are really quite delicious. I also laud the waitress/busboy staff who are friendly and uber efficient. The wait time is much improved as well.

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