Grade: B
A nostalgic trip down memory lane for the boomer generation
Motown Revisited
Local talents get it on at That ’60s Soul Show
by Sara Miller
The aptly titled That ‘60s Soul Show delivers on its promise, entertaining the mostly middle-aged audience with a two-hour set of faithful renditions of classic hits from Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, and other Motown-era artists.
That ‘60s Soul Show relies heavily on the vocal talents of local singers Bobby Alvarez, Quiana Parler, and Amanda Morris to stand in for the aforementioned legends, and they are all acceptable substitutes.
Organizer Lawson Roberts was wise to set this event up at Bar 145, which has a great cabaret atmosphere. The stage seemed a bit crowded, with an excellent horn section, a precise drummer (or two, when Alvarez grabbed the bongos) and arranger Taras Kovayl on keyboards, but this problem was overcome by having the singers appear onstage one at a time for most of the show.
The horn section really kept things rolling and added that extra authentic ’60s touch to the production, providing wonderful trumpet and sax solos at just the right times. It was, however, a little strange when only one of the singers was onstage and background vocals seemed to materialize out of thin air (the other singers were behind a curtain at the side of the stage.)
The volume was turned way up, almost to an uncomfortable level, but the trio of singers deserved to be heard. All three of them have soulful voices and an obvious love for the music they’re singing; as the only male vocalist, Alvarez had to cover a lot of different singers and always looked and acted like he was having a damn good time doing it.
Song highlights included Alvarez’s “My Girl,” during which he hit some incredibly high notes spot-on, the trio singing together on “Midnight Train to Georgia,” and anytime Parler took on the persona of the Queen of Soul (“R-E-S-P-E-C-T,” “Natural Woman”).
There was a long, long intro before Alvarez launched into “Let’s Get It On,” giving everyone more than enough time for the Viagra to kick in. While Alvarez has a strong, talented voice, pulling off Marvin Gaye is a tall order — his spirited determination almost gets him there, but it’s pretty tough to replicate the master of soul.
After the intermission, Parler came out and wowed the crowd as Michael Jackson in his younger, more innocent days, tearing through “I Want You Back” and “ABC.” About the only time the show slowed down was during a Morris/Parler duet on a languorous version of The Shirelles’ “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow,” which Roberts mentioned was inspired by VH1’s Divas Live show.
Throughout the evening, Alvarez worked hard to get the crowd going, and they repaid him with handclaps, hoots, and hollers, and the occasional dance breakout. The show was remarkably similar to listening to a ’60s soul compilation CD or oldies radio before they started adding all that rock ’n’ roll from the ’70s — and hence perfect for parents and grandparents, or anyone with a love for classic soul hits.