Shenandoah Ableman has the rare ability to turn any genre into a voluptuous experience. Comfortable singing in front of styles ranging from German cabaret to doo wop, her quintet Shenandoah and the Night creates sultry, decadent torch songs that work as well on the stage as they do in the bedroom – in particular when you are NOT alone in there. The band’s self-titled debut EP showcases this sensuality with deep confidence through a series of songs steeped in the tradition of American folk, but featuring a very un-American, almost overwhelming, nostalgic power – in the most literal and decadent definition of "romanticism". These songs ("So Fine" and "All The Beautiful Ladies" deserve a honorable mention) make us flirt with "dangerous" thoughts like the fragility of love, the desire for the lost past, the unreachability of perfect happiness, our vain but primary quest for beauty. They might not make us jump or feel happy – but they do make us feel alive. Can you afford to ignore it? – Shenandoah and the Night will be playing The Deli’s Deli Rootsy CMJ Stage on 10.19 at Living Room with Lucius, Sydney Wayser, Reverend John Delore, Ursa Minor and mony others. Full lineup here.
