Out at Red Tree Coffee's consistently solid Friday night music offerings, a last minute substitution worked out well. The in-house talents of Cole Bruce, accompanied by Jon Conley (they're the spouses of Red Tree owners Amy and Katie respectively) did a fine fill in job. It was an opportunity for Cole to showcase his CD "Hello Sunshine". Some exciting news announced as well--Cole and Jon have put together a group called Calico Trail. We should be hearing from them fairly soon.
I have this thing about people recognizing me from someplace, but I either don't recall meeting them or maybe I just haven't. Sometimes people see me at the many events I get around to. But much of the time, it's just that I have to see some people at least three times to successfully put a name and a face together (nothing personal toward any of these folks this happens with...I attribute this to age and "the change").
Such was the case with the second act to play this evening...Eleanor Fye. She asked me a question I get often: "don't I know you from somewhere?" I usually run down the list of places I frequent, and this time we figured out it was from Doak Turner's monthly gathering. If I didn't remember Eleanor from there, I certainly won't forget her going forward. Her set was perhaps one of the best I've heard here from a solo artist new to me since Louise Mosrie's back in February.
Eleanor is still fairly new to Nashville, having moved here last September. She hasn't played many gigs to this point, but on this night she successfully used her classical, jazz and pop influences to totally enchant and engage the audience with her warm personality, personal songwriting and excellent vocals (with Jon Conley on guitar). Eleanor sang songs about conquering fear by paragliding, processing being "stood up", and used some cool violin effects on one song she described as her "rocking, angry song". One challenge she threw out to the audience paid off for herself. She asked the crowd to sing along with her cover of the Minnie Riperton hit "Loving You". Now, most folks can handle the "la la la la la" part of this song okay. But I figured perhaps outside of Mariah Carey, few could pull off the stratospheric part of the end of that chorus. Well, Eleanor did. It sure blew us all away. She got a standing ovation for her set from me.
Eleanor Fye is certainly where she belongs being here in Nashville. I say keep an ear out for her to do great things. She plays here again on August 21.
I tell you what, Red Tree Coffee, you sure know how to pick 'em.
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