Review Review: Geek Chic Critique

11/11/2022

Jazz singer Jonathan Karrant confidently steps into November with the release of his first Christmas album, "Christmas Wish".

Trailed last week by the release of his duet "Grown Up Christmas List" with jazz living legend Diane Schuur, a warmly, optimistic take on the modern classic made popular by Amy Grant, the new album finds Karrant sounding relaxed and in full control.

Karrant swings his way through "Winter Wonderland" , giving it a gentle twist of his own whilst losing none of the familiarity, and he saunters through "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm" like a man who knows exactly what he is doing. His confidence with the material is charming.

The pairing of "I Wonder As I Wander" with "We Three Kings" includes a beautiful trumpet solo that is warm and rich as it wraps around Karrant's suave vocals.

Covers of more contemporary songs sometimes start to falter but Karrant brings his own take to all of them and puts them in a different light. He declines to take the easy option at most every turn and the album is all the better for it. His choice of featured musicians is impeccable, of course - Houston Person (sax), Kenny Rampton (trumpet), Joe Alterman (piano) and more embrace the holiday spirit alongside Jonathan Karrant.

Karrant emphasises the blue in Elvis' "Blue Christmas" for a memorable pairing with "Santa Bring Him Back To Me". The three thematic song couplings, of which this is one, are a highlight of the record.

Gliding through "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve" allows Karrant to remind us how smooth he can be, especially on his well timed and liberated choruses.

If you are ready to put the political minefields of the past week behind you, "Christmas Wish" is a wonderful way of transitioning into a holiday mood. Relax in Karrant's musical arms - everything is going to be okay, he seems to be saying.

"Christmas Wish" by Jonathan Karrant is available on all major platforms on Friday, November 10th.

Concert dates to be announced soon.

05/06/2022

Elektra Heavenly became the first Transwoman to headline a ticketed show in Las Vegas on April 30th when she performed at The Vegas Room following guest performances as The Tuscany and Kelly Clinton's "Sit In".

At first it's shocking to realise this milestone had not already been achieved but take a step back and ask yourself how many Transgender singers you can name.

Elektra took to the stage in a stunning, shimmering gown and Shania Twain's "From This Moment On", completed with a bespoke Whitney Houston coda. Aside from a few nervous notes it was a confident start to an impressive show.

Interspersed with conversations about her upbringing and musical inspiration and ably supported by jazz singer Toscha Comeaux, Elektra swept through a simple, elegant arrangement of"The Way We Were", a sweet, light and bilingual version of The Carpenters' "Superstar" full of beautiful sustains on the emotional payload notes and careful use of her delectable vibrato and a slow and tender inrerpretation of "Let's Stay Together" that transitioned into a funky party take that had the audience cheering.

Whirling through Bonnie Raitt and Better Midler, Elektra paused for a duet with Toscha Comeaux on "All Of Me" that included a S**t Off that was one highlight of Elektra's stunning debut as a headliner before the intermission.

On this basis, it won't be long before Elektra Heavenly is headlining her own Las Vegas residency and that is a show you won't want to miss.

The Vegas Room and adjoining Nevada Room at 953 E Sahara remains one of Las Vegas' most exciting new venues. Check out vegasnevadarooms.com for their full schedule of forthcoming shows, including Michael
Grimm, Kelly Clinton, Fifth Avenue and more.

05/02/2022

Trattoria del Lupo, a Wolfgang Puck restaurant inside the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip, continues to excel at upscale Italian food, and serves arguably the finest steaks in the city.

Our meal opened with a Meat and Cheese Board that is a lesson in charcuterie. A first class quality selection of four cheeses, including a beautifully creamy camembert, and four cured meats including prosciutto di Parma plus a wedge of honeycomb, pickled peppers, nuts and olives that results in a vividly flavourful plate.

The Cesar Salad includes Foccacia Rosemary Croutons and a house-made dressing for added freshness and flavour.

The lamb and fennel sausage with orchetta, topped with pea shoots provided an impeccably balanced yet robust flavour test. The sparing use of sauce ensures both the lamb and fennel retain their prominence while the freshness and sweetness of the peashoots subtly temper the strength of the bolder flavours for a bite I will savour for a long time to come.

Already rather full by this point, my wife and I opted to shared a hefty, thick cut 16oz New York steak, perfectly cooked to Medium Rare over an open fire to give a natural char and a tender, juicy dark pink core for maximum flavour. This outstanding steak may be impossible to beat in Las Vegas.

The dessert options include a magnificent, baked Spanish strawberry cheesecake. The huge wedge has a slightly blackened top that was cooked enough to caramelize it without creating a crispy, burned top layer. Below that, the body of the cheesecake had just enough firmness to stand and to roll across the tongue without collapsing without feeling dense. The strawberries burst with flavour thanks to a naturally flavoured, light strawberry sauce that is minimally applied. The awareness of the quantity of each constituent part of a meal is one of Lupa's many strengths - enough to be present, not enough to distract from the star of the plate.

While certainly not cheap, the bill was favourably competitive with a meal at any of the other fine dining restaurants in the city. Lupa is the undisputed Las Vegas heavyweight champion of fine dining, within its price range. .

Colton was our server. He was friendly, responsive and attentive. When we go back, we will definitely ask to be seated in his section. I'm sure every server here is good - the teamwork on display was fantastic - but Colton was exceptional.

Five outstanding courses. Attentive service despite the restaurant being nearly full within an hour of opening. A two minute walk from the Mandalay Bay car park, where locals with a Nevada ID can park for free for up to three hours. What's not to love?

04/17/2022

Save the date:

The refreshing Mira Dasu is back on May 20th with the second single from her forthcoming album.

"Drifting Friends" is a knowing slice of indie pop that takes the listener from seductive and flirty through to growling disappointment with shades of Nina Persson, Munya, Natalie Imbruglia and Hye Jin Park colouring Mira's insanely gorgeous vocals.

Building on the success of the dreamy, shimmering pop smash "Tryna" in 2021, Mira Dasu brings the sounds of summer to us yet again with this guitar driven pleasure that makes me yearn to sip expensive drinks by the pool, spill the T with the crew and make a phone call I probably shouldn't.

Sign up at Distrokid to get a reminder to check out "Drifting Friends" on May 20th!

Stream and Pre-save Drifting Friends - Distributed by DistroKid

03/04/2022

The amazing Miss Behave, star of the Miss Behave Gameshow, is back on stage with a brand new show in a new theatre!

Gameshow brought the chaos and anarchy of classic British humour to the Las Vegas strip with echoes of Comic Strip Presents, Tommy Cooper, The Young Ones, Les Dawson, French & Saunders, Lily Savage, Shooting Stars and more with an inimitable sprinkling of glamour, sequins and a ta**ry weekend affair in Blackpool.

We expect nothing less than side-splitting comedic brilliance from this new variety show, which promises comedy, burlesque, clowns and more.

Tickets are a steal at $25 from cheapshotdtlv.com

02/25/2022

A Las Vegas business has come up with a unique way to show support for Ukraina.

They are replacing all their Russian vodka with Ukrainian brands and on Saturday will donate all the proceeds to a Ukrainian humanitarian fund.

Everyone can do something. Thank you Evel Pizza for modelling the way.

LAS VEGAS (FOX5) -- A downtown Las Vegas pizza joint has announced it will be offering a unique way to donate towards humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.

02/09/2022

The stupendously talented and gorgeous Danika Vega opens a new KJ gig at Aloha Kitchen & Bar on S Decatur, 8pm - 2am every Friday and Saturday night!

The venue has long been known for drag queen hosted karaoke nights as well as affordable, quality food and an inclusive environment.

This will be quite the night - no doubt the staff at GCC will see you there soon.

02/04/2022

The excellent North Dakota band Wildly Appropriate debuted their first TV special yesterday.

Six songs with short interviews woven in.

Describing themselves as "groovy guitar rock", the band fuse elements of funk, country, punk, roots and blues into a cohesive alt-everything sound. A little Bob Dylan, a splash of Wilco, a hint of Maria McKee and a whole lot of passion.

The best waste of 26 mins you could have today. If you have time to guess a five letter word, you have time to check this out.

02/03/2022

Fresh from the announcement of 2022 North America tour dates comes this NPR "Tiny Desk" concert by Tori Amos, the singer-songwriter whose chart career now spans over thirty years from her groundbreaking debut solo album "Little Earthquakes" to last year's impressive "Ocean To Ocean".

Tour dates can be found in the comments section.

From her state-of-the-art home studio, the beloved singer-songwriter plays selections from her 2021 album, Ocean to Ocean, as well as a fan favorite.

11/03/2021

Newsflash:

Martina Brookshire, the drag alter ego of Mark Melton Jr, steps in as the host of Faaabulous: The Show at Notoriety on Fremont Street for the whole of November.

Faaabulous: The Show is an all live, no lipsynch event starring 5 wonderful queens singing their hearts out. 8pm showtime (Friday, tickets $39.99.

https://www.notorietylive.com/event/faaabulous-the-show/2021-11-05/

10/10/2021

GeekChicCritique congratulates:

U.S. National Champion Renee Turcotte
Silver Medal winners Paul Mayer
Bronze Medal Winners Coreen Beckman

These three gifted singers will represent the U.S. at the Karaoke World Championship in November.

09/12/2021

The remarkable Maria Mendiola has died, age 69.

She was performing as a flamenco dancer on Fuenteventura when she was talent spotted and signed to UK record label RCA.

As one half of Baccarat, with Mayte Mateos, she sold 18 million copies (worldwide) of their biggest hit, "Yes Sir, I Can Boogie" as the song went to #1 in ten countries in 1977. At the time it was the biggest selling single ever by a girl group. The breathy disco classic has since been covered by Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Goldfrapp and was resurgent this summer as the unofficial anthem of the Scottish football team at Euro 2020.

The follow-up single, "Sorry, I'm A Lady", went Top 10 in the U.K. and #1 in five countries.

Future singles brought diminishing returns but "Darling" was a Top 10 hit in five countries and their third consecutive #1 hit in Norway and when, inn 1978 they came 7th representing Luxembourg in the Eurovision Song Contest singing "Parlez-Vous Francis", it provided them with a Top 30 hit in five countries.

Their final major hit, "The Devil Sent You To Lorado", made the Top 10 in three countries and the Top 20 in five in 1978.

Mendiola continued to perform long after splitting with Mateos and enjoyed a minor hit in 1987 with "Call Me Up", which hit the Top 5 in Spain and the Top 40 in Germany. Neither Mendiola not Mateos were able to recapture the heady success on their 1977-1978 run of hits but both remained in consistent demand on television and in clubs, contrary to Baccara's reputation as one hit wonders.

Mendiola leaves a musical legacy that most aspiring singers can only dream of matching. May she boogie, boogie woogie, all night long.

Baccara's hit 'Yes Sir, I Can Boogie' from 1977 is a hit again this year 2021. The Scottish Soccer Team, playing in the Euro 2020 tournament, have adopted th...