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Reviews
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Eve
Marie Shahoian
Rrazz Room
San Francisco, CA
It
can be a very difficult transition for an operatic coloratura soprano into the world of pop/cabaret music. The phrasing, styling
and need for emotional connection to the melody and lyrics are sometimes elusive. Eve Marie has jumped into the fray with
both feet and the results are mixed but very encouraging. Her concert, coinciding with the release of her freshman CD Waiting For You," exhibited her beautiful voice in ways that both suit her
new repertoire and sometimes miss. Backed by a sterling group of musicians, including CD producer Tony Lufrano on keys and
horn man extraordinaire Tony Malfati, the music covered a wide range of Eve Marie's influences from which she can extract
and distill a unique style.
Her original material,
culled from her influences in '60s girl group pop ("The Bells Sang Our Song") and romantic ballads with an R&B flavor
(the energetic "Temptation"), show an exciting potential. "I'll Take a Picture" mimics the successful pop diva model and that's
where her voice successfully melds with the material. "Lost Soul Today," a power ballad, shows it's possible to merge a delicate
vocal with a sizzling guitar solo by producer Garth Webber. His song, "Where Did You Go?," is a lovely R&B love song that
Eve Marie makes her own and with which she delivers her most honest vocal.
Her cover of standards
needs work. "The Way You Look Tonight" is spoiled by a poor vocal arrangement in too high a register that doesn't gel with
the throaty sax solo. Similarly, "You Made Me Love You" is given a sexy strip tease sound missing the intent of the material.
"I Know You By Heart," and Christine McVie's "Songbird," both soft ballads, is Eve Marie at her best. No extraneous note cascades
and a deep connection to the lyric and melody. "Fools Rush In," backed by Malfati's horns, and Sting's "Fields of Gold" were
poignant and engaging.
Blessed with a stunning
soprano, some impressive songwriting skills, and a knack for choosing complementary cover material, Eve Marie will only improve
with each outing.
Steve Murray
Cabaret Scenes
July 29, 2009
www.cabaretscenes.org |
San Ramon's Eve Marie Releases Debut Album
Child prodigy is all grown up—and crooning her new material.
By Pete Crooks
East Bay native Eve Marie Shahoian has been singing all her life—in fact, she performed
two operatic arias on the classic Tonight Show with Johnny Carson at age nine (click here to see the clip). But it wasn’t until recently that the San Ramon resident really found her groove. On
Wednesday night, Eve Marie will perform songs from her new album, Waiting For You at San Francisco’s Rrazz
Room. Waiting For You combines Shahoian’s original songs with sultry standards such as “The Way You Look
Tonight”.
“I wrote half the material on this CD,” says Shahoian. “It’s my debut
as a singer-songwriter and it’s how I want to be seen and heard. This CD represents a new beginning, my own voice on
my own terms. It’s been very cathartic and it’s been a real evolution.”
Growing up in Oakland, Shahoian was a child vocal
prodigy with a mature set of pipes at age 8. In addition to the Carson show, she
co-hosted the Bay Area kids program, Just Kidding and performed with various celebrities, including Liberace.
“I once spent a day at his house. It was surreal," Shahoian recalls. "He was a very
eccentric man with a lot of gaudy furniture. A pool with piano keys painted around it. Slot machines throughout the
house. But very nice.”
Now in her 30s, Shahoian has two children and loves the sense of community that she feels
in her San Ramon neighborhood. After taking some time off form singing to be a mom, she recently went back into the studio
to record Waiting For You. She also started performing in nightclubs, and loves playing San
Francisco’s acclaimed Rrazz Room.
“I was there in February—it’s a great venue, intimate and has an amazing
sound system,” she says. “I have a six-person band. My guitarist Garth Webber played with Miles Davis for years.
My show is a 21-song set, all the CD material as well as covers—some obscure jazz pieces and some classic Otis Redding
pieces. A little Gershwin. A real conglomerate."
Waiting For You is available on iTunes and Amazon.com.
CelebrityCafe.com CD Reviews by Lawanda Johnson
Eve Marie - Waiting for You
 - On Eve
Marie’s new 10-song collection album
“Waiting for You,” Eve Marie discusses
the emotional roller coaster of being in and out of love. “Waiting for You” is well crafted and very energetic.
A song dedicated to spring season is “The Bells Sang Our Song.” Eve Marie’s
voice is astounding and sincere. This track is a story of discovering new love when she sings, “I saw you standing there
with a smile/ you were so handsome/ and I so shy/ I caught you by another day/ I wait for hello/ and go my way.” The
typical love song always reminds listeners of a time when they
once discovered a new love.
“Temptation” is sung in a high pitch range and Eve Marie does an excellent
job. The song has a mid temp beat. Eve Marie gets emotional while singing, “How can you close the door to your heart/
and never ever let me back in/ maybe, maybe in another life/ 1, 2, 3, 4/ who’s there knocking at your door/ temptation.”
Love is full of surprises and Eve Marie sings about temptation invading a relationship.
If you are a hopeless romantic,
“Waiting for You” is the perfect album. Eve Marie has impressive vocals and great concepts for love songs. The
entire album is about love, heartaches, temptation, and even lust. This pop-flavored album appeals to the heart, mind, body
and soul.
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Eve Marie Celebrates the Release of Her CD WAITING FOR YOU at the
Rrazz Room 7/29
Tuesday, July 14, 2009; Posted: 04:07
PM - by BWW News Desk
Contemporary songstress Eve Marie
will celebrate the July 28 release of WAITING FOR YOU, her debut CD on Heartsong Records, with a return to The Rrazz Room
at San Francisco's Nikko Hotel on Wednesday, July 29. Showtime is 8:00PM.
The evening will showcase material from Eve Marie's much anticipated CD, a mix of pop, jazz and
R&B, including some of her own compositions. The upcoming concert marks the vocalist's second appearance at the Rrazz
Room in the last six months: Her February debut at the prestigious venue was SRO.
Joining Eve Marie for the celebration
will be some of the Bay Area's most popular musicians, most of who also appear on WAITING FOR YOU. Among those names is keyboardist
Tony Lufrano, who shares producer credits on the CD with Garth Webber and Eve Marie. Rounding out the list of players will
be Bill Belasco on drums, Tony Malfatti on sax, Paul Olguin on bass, Ric Wilson on electric and acoustic guitar, and a special
guest appearance by Garth Webber.
WAITING FOR YOU features classics like "You Make Me Love You" and "The Way You Look
Tonight," and contemporary pop favorites "Songbird" and "I Know You by Heart" as well as six of Eve Marie's own compositions.
Although it's her intro CD in the world of contemporary pop, Eve Marie is a familiar name and a beloved voice in the Bay Area
and beyond.
Called "the pint-sized coloratura soprano" as a child, Eve Marie Shahoian appeared on "The Tonight Show
Starring Johnny Carson," "The Mike Douglas Show" and "Kids Are People Too," "Just Kidding," "That's Incredible" and performed with Liberace in Las Vegas many years before her teens. Between then and now, she added more television, concerts, musical theater and symphony
performances to her resume before taking a break of many years from pursuing a professional singing career full-time. Since
that time, she received a BA in Clinical Psychology, an MM in Vocal Pedagogy and has earned a reputation for her insightful
approach in her career as a voice teacher.
WAITING FOR YOU will be available from Amazon, CD Baby, iTunes and local
retailers. You can also visit www.evemariesings.com for more information.
Click her to read the article on the Broadway World website.
Liberace
" Eve sounds like Deanna Durbin, I want to use her on my stage show, an amazing
voice, and talent"
Mike Douglas
"
Eve will be a Star".
Associated Press Lisa Levitt
"When Eve Sings, People Listen"
Press Club of San Francisco -Dorothy
Snow-Gordon
" Where are the words, Eve Marie to express my admiration for you as an outstanding singer... and wonderful person."
Tribune - Liz Skow
"Eve has the same National appeal as Celine Dion"
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