Roses On The Railway Tracks

When I heard Natalia Pardalis's tunes last Wednesday at The Princeton Pub, the first words to enter my mind were: Broadway and Cheery. Which is normally something you don't often associate with the Princeton Pub!

Never before have I seen so many well dressed ladies in cocktail/tea attire at the Princeton Pub. It certainly shocked the local residents as a posse of ladies walked up to the stage and set up candles and lanterns. After a few technical difficulties the show went underway.

Celebrating the release of her new single, "Cup Of Tea", this night was full of singing and applause. She brought a great crowd of friends and well wishers. Each receiving a gift bag which included samples from local merchants and a copy of her album "Life".

Starting off her set with a cover of "Feeling Good" switching into "Cry Me A River" (Justin Timberlake) we found that sometimes she focused to much on the sheet music in front of her. So much that it affected her vocals and allowed the pitch and dynamics to wander a bit. Don't get me wrong, she is both a skilled pianist and a skilled vocalist. Obvious training in both aspects, but together, at times, both skills seemed to compete against one another.

Her vocals were definitely classically influenced, with a hint of musical theatre. Reminded me of watching a classic movie and hearing a dance tune break out and the whole street burst into synchronized dance. It was difficult putting that voice in this context at a very open-mic/piano recital feel. Her voice seemed suited for a larger stage than what the Princeton provided. This performance was very intimate but sometimes we felt the vocals lacked dynamics which could really make the tunes sing.

The piano was well played, again obvious classical and jazz influence with some hints of modern flavouring. My guess would be she has been playing mostly lounge style ranging to Broadway classics. The originals she played sounded best because they combined all of her influences. After hearing her album and the piano originals I wished some more of those were played.

A very interesting sound, definitely something you don't hear in Vancouver that often! If you want to hear the tunes go to http://nataliapardalismusic.bandcamp.com/ and be sure to pick up the single from iTunes!