Lisa Loeb
Lisa Loeb oozed a friendly vibe on Wednesday night at the Barns of Wolf Trap. She was quick to smile, and she filled her between-songs tuning time with stories that had the crowd in stitches. She compared Prince Charles to Lady Elaine from "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" ("You know, that papier-mache look!") and charmingly shared recipe tips she had learned from her culinary show on the Food Network, "Dweezil and Lisa."
Loeb's comfortably conversational tone carried into her music as well, complemented by her effortless guitar interplay with her sole accompanist, Matt Beck. The songs sounded like gossip sessions over morning coffee, whether she was telling stories to a friend ("Falling in Love") or making googly eyes at a lover ("Sandalwood").
Lisa Loeb in January. She performed Wednesday at the Barns of Wolf Trap.
(Tammie Arroyo -- AP)
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Unfortunately, most of Loeb's songs fell into the latter category, giving the evening a lovey-dovey feel that would've been overwhelming even on Valentine's Day. She gushed ("Truthfully"), she blushed ("Probably"), and, sometimes, she was crushed when things didn't work out ("Everyday").
Loeb's most memorable songs took a pensive turn, like the melancholy "Hand-Me-Downs" and the breathy lullaby "Butterfly," which closed the night. But her music aside, Loeb's most striking trait was her humility. Her unassuming introduction and fresh rendition of her hit "Stay" showed respect for the opportunities the song and its fans have brought her.
-- Catherine P. Lewis
Mary Black
It's hard to believe that the Pogues and Mary Black share a common planet, let alone a common country. But on Wednesday at the Birchmere, Black, the celebrated Irish vocalist, showed yet another thing she has in common with those scruffy Celt rockers and their ilk: volume.
Black's voice is as big as all of Erin, and just as beautiful. It's a pity that it, and her four-piece band, were amplified with the sort of echoey effect that's the aural equivalent of the Vaseline on the lens filming an aging actress. Black's bold, tremolo-gilded alto didn't need that sort of help.
Still, the adoring audience didn't seem to mind. It basked in a lengthy and mostly lively set. Black revealed an engaging, friendly manner toward her listeners, but she didn't chat a lot; these folks were here for the music, and they got more than two hours of it.
The repertoire included Phil Colclough's inspiring anthem "Song for Ireland," songs by Irish writer Noel Brazil, and powerful versions of songs by Sandy Denny ("By the Time It Gets Dark"), Bob Dylan ("Lay Down Your Weary Tune," "Make You Feel My Love") and Shane Howard ("This Old Town"). That these artists are English, American and Australian, respectively, didn't matter: Everyone's Irish in folk clubs this time of year.
-- Pamela Murray Winters
Jill Scott
Folks don't discuss Jill Scott's voice as much as they ought to. The neo-soul goddess is often praised more for her warm demeanor and grounded spirit than for her singing and songwriting abilities, and fans talk about her like a family member. But few people have relatives who can sing like Jilly from Philly.
Scott's Everywoman appeal is an undeniable part of her charm, but her extraordinary pipes were never outshone by her bright personality at Constitution Hall on Wednesday night.
Between the stories and jokes she loves to tell, Scott took time to draw attention away from her persona. The Big Beautiful Tour, she explained, was named for a grand mix of musical genres, not her own voluptuous loveliness.
As always, the musical arrangements were fresh; audiences never come away from a Jill Scott show feeling they could have duplicated the experience at home by popping in a CD and turning up their thermostats. "Golden," from her latest album, "Beautifully Human: Words and Sounds Vol. 2," received a disco/funk remix. The smooth, playful submission of "Whatever" got a Latin makeover, complete with Scott channeling Charo.
