“Free and easy, that’s my style.  Howdy-do me, watch me smile… Fare thee well me after a while, ’cause I gotta roam.  And any place I hang my hat is home!…”

Those lyrics, of course, are from Any Place I Hang My Hat is Home from the Broadway musical St Louis Woman, written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer. It was also the kickoff of singer Nina Pelton’s cabaret piece All I Want For You, which took place at the New York City hotspot 54 Below on Friday, September 12th.  After that well-chosen opener, two things became clear: (1) Nina Pelton has one of the most unique voices in the cabaret scene, and (2) on this Friday evening, the stage was indisputably Nina’s home.  The first song was followed by a song from the enduring musical Ain’t Misbehavin’: Keeping Out of Mischief Now.  Performed with a “wink, wink” campiness, the song seemed perfectly suited for Nina’s personality. (Love that final “NOW…!”) Nina Pelton is an endearing performer; From the very first notes, the audience seemed both delighted and appreciative– feelings no doubt boosted by the relatively intimate space of 54 Below.  Pelton was a such a grand presence, in fact, that her vocals– with the hardworking Jody Shelton on piano– was all she needed.  (Shelton was also the show’s Musical Director.) No further adornment was necessary, although there was also her friend Kellie Ishmael in attendance as Guest Vocalist. (More about Kellie later…) Nina can REALLY hit those impressive notes, but even at her most trained and polished, there’s just a touch of gravel and earthiness that suits her persona just perfectly.  Pelton may call New York City her home, but it wouldn’t surprise me if she had any Southern blood running through her veins; there’s a “sass” about her vocal talents which seem to be distinctively from south of the Mason-Dixon line. That aforementioned sass is in full force for Nina’s take-no-prisoners take on Dr. Feelgood, a song (“Don’t send me no doctor, Fillin’ me up with all of those pills; I got me a man named Doctor Feelgood, And yeah that man takes care of all o’ my pains and my ills!…”) which is undisputedly about the joys of… well, let’s just say “post-musical theater camp passions”… Speaking of “passions”, Pelton included Loving You from the musical Passion as an homage to Stephen Sondheim.  She gave the song all the musical theater justice it deserves.  

Nina’s Special Guest of the evening was singer Kellie Ishmael, who Nina would share was her best friend for 30 years.  Kellie’s gave the audience India.Arie’s Brown Skin, and her lush delivery of this should-be classic was no less than delicious.  Nina couldn’t resist the urge to join her friend with a few equally sultry notes, and the result was truly wonderful.  When Nina and Kellie get the chance to sing together, they truly show their chemistry as both artists and friends.  The moment of the show when Jody Shelton joined the two ladies with his own voice was no less than magical.  Another magical moment came with the unexpected song choice of Better from Kimberly Akimbo (“When opportunity knocks, When possibility calls; Take the bull by the horn, Grab life by the balls.  You gotta take the reins, Break the rules; So you can make your shitty life BETTER!…”), for which she was joined again by Ms. Ishmael in an all-out. over-the-top duet. Her choice seemed like a shout-out to the lovers of “New Broadway”– the generation who relates more to Dear Evan Hansen and Avenue Q than, for example, Brigadoon.  The audience, regardless of generation, certainly loved it. 
I won’t give away the last song or the encore of the show, but I WILL say it was a real stunner.  

Nina Pelton is definitely a performer who must be seen live on stage to be appreciated to the maximum. She boasts an impressive, multifaceted range.  She can definitely B-E-L-T when necessary, and she can convey soulfulness even in a single note of her choice– as evidenced by her interpretation of the oft-reinterpreted Mean to Me.  And, while we are on the subject of notes, she didn’t miss a single one during the entire runtime of All I Want For You.  She made us laugh many times throughout her show, but she can also pull at the heartstrings, as she did with her choice of the melancholy heartbreaker You Can Have Him, written by Irving Berlin and performed by artists ranging from Doris Day to Nina Simone. By now you may be wondering the meaning of the show’s title, All I Want For You.  In the first few minutes of the show, Nina declared, “We’re all here for the same reason: for the love of music.  So I ask you to get comfortable, open up your hearts, and enjoy!” Many artists bend over backwards to declare their love for their audiences… but on this night, there was no doubt from this reviewer that All I Want For You is a true love letter from Nina to all the attendees at 54 Below… and beyond.

See more at http://www.NinaPeltonSinger.com.

(Photo by Monk.)