REVIEW: Cindy Davis live @ Metro Studio Theatre--Jan. 19, 2008

First of all, it’s hard to be objective when a musician is a good friend and you are reviewing a show. So it is nice to be able to say without hesitation that Cindy Davis’ first ever theatre show in support of her new album, A Year or More, did not disappoint. You always hope your friends do well when they take the step of putting an album out and then supporting it live because it can be a bit of a tightrope walk. However, Cindy and her unbelievable band had far exceeded all of my expectations when they walked off stage tonight at the Metro Studio Theatre.

The band, made up of Cindy and five other friends of mine, including her husband Ryan McLeod, was tight, well-rehearsed, and dynamic, playing the songs with passion and power. The vocal harmonies (especially those sung by Katie Schaan) were bang-on, the interplay between the guitarists (Ryan “Titan of the Telecaster” McLeod and Colin “I Melt Fretboards” McTaggart) was a joy to listen to, and the rhythm section of Johnny 5 Andrews and Shaun Huberts was perfect—the band was never too “busy”, always playing the parts that suited and supported the songs. And of course there was Cindy, whose gorgeous voice and heartfelt songs have been stuck in the collective head of Caitlin and I for this whole week. The two of us both welled up with tears a couple times as the band made this glorious noise together and our friend poured her heart into these songs in front of an audience who clearly adored her, showing a huge outpouring of support after every song. There were so many fantastic moments during the show that I won’t go into the specifics (plus it’s late and I need my sleep), but the last song of the night was a new song and at one point the band cut out completely to reveal a beautiful three part harmony before slamming back into the soaring chorus together. Seriously, I had a “U2 moment” as I again felt the tears in my eyes and shivers running up and down my spine. Beautiful...

If you are reading this and you missed tonight’s show there is still another tomorrow, the details of which can be found here. If you are interested in picking up Cindy's album, check out her website, http://cindydavismusic.com.

Perhaps this has not been so much a review of Cindy’s show as it has a gushing endorsement of her and her music as well as a thank you to her for making this album and putting it out there for us. Thanks Cindy, Ryan, and band, you have made us all very proud.