"My name is Sarah Silva, and if you don’t know me now, you will by the end of this set," were the words that followed a sassy blurb about being done with an ex boyfriend, and also the words that introduced dramatic pop-diva Sarah Silva to her 12th & Porter audience last Thursday night. She was joined by pop/RnB singer Alvin Love and indie-folk group Kopecky Family Band, making for an odd but interesting lineup.
Silva’s music was almost as unconventional as said lineup, drawing characteristics from artists as varied as Queen, KT Tunstall and Cyndi Lauper. While the majority of her material consisted of lack-of-love songs outlining her failed romantic endeavors and the shortcomings of men, the subject didn’t get old. Her lyrics and delivery were presented with enough bite that the spunky bitch/angry girl shtick continued to work for her. It was only fitting that on the song "Screamer" Silva practically screamed the hook, "You give me something to scream about!" Despite all of the man-hating going on, all of the men in the front row bobbed their heads while Silva bounced around behind her keyboard as she played with skillful precision. The delectably catchy "I Don’t Believe You" summoned the spirit of Freddy Mercury with its unpredictable chord changes, Silva’s classically trained belt (not the one around her waist), and her ability to flawlessly hold her high notes for lengthy periods of time.
The idiosyncrasies in all of Sarah Silva’s songs prevented her from simply being tossed into the pop artist category. Not too many people can say they’ve witnessed the archetypal female, piano-playing singer/songwriter murmuring a sexy, Pussycat Dolls style, spoken interlude in their music – which is what Silva did with her song "Foolish." And while the songwriting style of very few artists is as eccentric as Kate Bush’s, that is exactly what Silva’s tune "Numb" channeled, with its retro feel, erratic high notes and beguiling melody. When the Tori Amos-meets-80s-power-ballad finale "Burn" was played a drunken boy in the front row roared, "I LOVE THIS SONG!" and it seemed to be the perfect end to the evening. (You can hear Burn for free on Silva’s myspace: see above link).
Sarah Silva’s impeccable voice, style, rantin and ravings are worth witnessing firsthand. Catch her playing an acoustic set on March 4th at the Listening Room, or try for the whole shebang (pun intended) by going to her CD release show at 12th & Porter on April 3rd. – Erin Manning