The Hamilton, as a venue, pairs the gorgeous banker-style dark wood, upscale allure of old-timey bars with the cool downstairs lounge adult-listening-room-style performance space.
Alice Smith, with a full band (guitar, bass, drums), glides on stage in tight black, lace-racing-striped pants, ruffly top and heels—fashioned like a trim, sexy, European. She launches directly into “Won’t Break,” warming up, breaking it down, provides the appropriate amount of banter, and with a full-smile, gives “thank-yous” to her home town.
She is charming as fuck.
As I sat there last Thursday, tallying my Alice Smith performance experiences, bringing this to—I am happily losing count—eight or nine, I realized that my excitement is unwaning despite her lack of record releases. In Alice Smith Revisited I gushed, and for those of you who have not been witness to her live performances, you will have more opportunities, as she’s promised an album, titled She, February 2013, fueled exclusively by money raised at Kickstarter. Her current tease is a single titled “Cabaret.”
“This is my new single. If you don’t have it, get it. If you can’t get it, I am going to sing it now, alright,” she jokes.
“Cabaret” demonstrates her incredible vocal control. It is pop, she draws you in and keeps you interested. In total, she sings 17 songs, old, new, and while seated on a bar stool, a disarming cover of Jeff Buckley’s “Lover, You Should’ve Come Over.”
“It’s a cover song. It’s also a jam.” Beaming with excitement, her contagious joy for music permeates the crowd. The audience is interactive, yelling out “Cee Lo don’t got shit on you” after she covers “Fool For You.” (She crushes this song, thrusting and grunting in the most appropriately sexy way possible.) There are at least five “Sang it, girl!” shout-outs. They love her. She loves them. It’s a love-fest. Get in on it.
Photos by Richie Downs
