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Nicole Henry, the sultry and soulful singer from Miami Beach, continues her steady rise to the top of New York's live music scene with her next two one-night stands at the white-hot Metropolitan Room, 34 West 22nd Street. Henry, whose monthly concerts have been drawing bigger and bigger crowds since she made her Metropolitan Room debut in May 2009, returns on Fridays March 19 at 7:30pm and April 23, at 9:45pm. These shows mark the 11th and 12th consecutive months Henry has performed on the Flatiron District's premiere stage for vocalists.
When she appeared at the most recent Mabel Mercer Cabaret Convention at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Henry was one of two singers to be brought back out for curtain calls by the convention's highly discerning audience. In his New York Times review of her February show, Stephen Holden observed: "The gifted Florida singer has become one of the top attractions at the Metropolitan Room." Indeed, her audiences -- a sophisticated cocktail of jazz mavens and cabaret connoisseurs -- are now turning out in force whenever she sings.
Brimming with warm elegance, Henry generously embraces pop, soul and jazz in her sets. Helping her to weave these diverse stylistic strains into a consistent sound are her New York-based sidemen Alvester Garnett on drums and Richie Goods on bass. Her pianists in New York have included Gotham locals Helen Sung, and John DiMartino. Blessed with a statuesque figure that brings to mind one or two Greek goddesses, and wearing a different Nicole Miller dress at each show, Henry is nothing but approachable. As Stephen Holden points out, "She phrases songs with a freewheeling sense of play that never loses sight of the subject at hand."Henry's three top-selling recordings date back to her solo debut "The Nearness of You" (2004), which reached #2 on the HMV Japan Jazz Charts where it stayed in the top 10 for three months. Her follow-up CD, "Teach Me Tonight," with the Eddie Higgins Trio, reached #1 on HMV Japan, and earned their top honor, Best Vocal Jazz Album of 2005. Her latest CD, "The Very Thought of You," produced by Hal Batt and Don Mizell (who served as executive creative producer), reached #7 on Billboard's Jazz Chart in 2008. A featured in-flight artist for Delta Airlines and Jet Blue, she is currently working on her fourth CD. On this project, due out in the fall, Henry spreads her wings with a number of original songs.
Nicole Henry's next two one-night stands are Friday March 19 at 7:30pm and Friday April 23 at 9:45pm. The cover charge is $30 (plus a two-drink minimum). For reservations call 212/206-0440 or visit www.metropolitanroom.com for more information or to pre-pay online.Rated "Best of New York" by New York Magazine in 2008, the Nightlife and Bistro Award-winning Metropolitan Room, 34 West 22nd Street, celebrates its fourth anniversary in May.
