BWW Reviews: Tyce Green Goes All The Way Live In TYCE GREEN LIVE

Listening to the pre-show music for Tyce Green's eponymous TYCE GREEN LIVE was like reading tea leaves. Fifteen minutes before the show, I joyfully devoured Merry Clayton's licorice-flavored back-up vocals in the Rolling Stones trippy, socially conscious "Gimme Shelter." Her performance, a mixture of bitter soul mixed with sweet rock sent shivers down my spine. I just knew she was a herald of the concert to come. When the music seamlessly transitioned to Neil Diamond's pedophilic "Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon," I thought, "Thank god. The tracks are transitioning smoothly." (That's one less note to make.) To my chagrin, the next song was David Bowie's late '70s hit "Heroes." The song drunkenly stumbled on and I thought, "Shit!" It was going to be a bumpy ride. Color me surprised (and amused) when I learned the music selection was likely the work of a Pandora station.

Instead, Green's show was smoother than a fresh jar of Skippy. The transitions were fantastic. Green, with the help of music director Jack Beetle, jumped from Blondie to Katy Perry to Shirley Bassey and Adele. To both their credits, they create such a well-constructed song list that they beat an algorithm whose sole purpose is to construct playlists for the easiest of listening. Take that Deep Blue. Take me Bruno Mars!

The first half of the show is about sheer pleasure - Green's and the audience. He presents hit after hit on a platter and sings the songs that he loves in the hope that his passion and pleasure find their way to the crowd. They do. Outside of his fondness for the songs, there's no deep meaning behind his selections. (That is, if you can believe his in-between song patter.) But he buoys the half purely through the strength of his charisma and performance persona in songs like Heart's "What about Love?" and Katy Perry's "I Kissed A Girl."

Green's rendition of "Rehab," however, left me thinking, hoping and wishing. I recalled Amy Winehouse's live performances. While she did not have Green's performance skills (love her as I do, she was often drugged, awkward and uncomfortable in front of large audiences), her saving grace was her ability to mix a million styles. She could sing reggae, hip-hop, jazz, soul - all in one song if she wished. This is perhaps (or perhaps surely) a much too offhanded thought to mention, but I would like to see Green do the same.

Daydreams aside, I found enough aural pleasure in the second half of the show to make this vein of thought inconsequential. After intermission, Green slips into something a little less comfortable - a suit jacket - and becomes Frank Sinatra. This is where his most personal stories and powerful performances arise.

It was a night of revelation. The question was never "Can Tyce Green rock the house?" Rather, it was, "Can he carry a live show without an ensemble?" The answer is yes. At this point in his career, Green has a style of his own. Loose and earnest with a hint of humor. And he's a damn good interpreter. Even when I was concerned that his rock-tinged voice wouldn't fit the pre-existing style of a song, like in "Stormy Weather," his spin would blow me (and the audience) away.

Plus, he wasn't on his own. He had the help of music director and keyboardist Jack Beetle. Backup singers Arielle Murphy and Jenna Burns were ready for anything he threw their way. Drummer Joe Beam was a particular favorite of mine. He was the Kevin Eubanks to Green's Jay Leno. His team, including guitarist Josh Sheiman and bass player Steve Martin, bolstered his performance and provided the structure necessary for his loosey-goosey relaxed style. It goes without saying, but he was also backed up by the team of hitmakers who created "I Kissed A Girl" and "Skyfall." I said it anyway just to hear myself talk (inside my head).

TYCE GREEN LIVE was the ideal Friday night for those who want to get tipsy, but don't want to be squished between drunk, sweaty people, as well as for those who like to keep their water au natural, without yeast and hops, but don't want to be squished between drunk sweaty people.

Performances of TYCE GREEN LIVE were May 7-8, 7:30 p.m. at the Music Box Theater.

For more information about Tyce Green, please visit www.tycegreen.com.

Photo and video courtesy of Tyce Green.

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