By John Benson
After a month-long tour opening for Josh Kelley, Northeast Ohio’s favorite up-and-coming singer-songwriter Kate Voegele made it back home for a rousing performance this past Thursday night at the House of Blues’ intimate Cambridge Room.
Positioned as a CD release party for her recently released MySpace Records debut effort, “Don’t Look Away,” the nearly 90-minute affair provided a snapshot of today and the endless possibilities for this 20-year-old’s tomorrow.
Diminutive in stature but robust in voice, the Bay Village native seemingly has all of the vocal and musical tools she needs at her disposal. It’s only a matter of fine-tuning her approach, which is something time and experience normally provide.
The show, heavily attended by family and friends, kicked off with a soul-meets-jazz influenced “Top of The World,” which came across slower than its album counterpart. Voegele, who was backed by a five-piece band (including her father on guitar), initially seemed hesitant and nervous, but as the song progressed and her music enveloped the room, you could see why the Miami University (Ohio) sophomore has been widely touted as perhaps the next big thing to come out of Northeast Ohio. At times she imbued a Joss Stone quality that seamlessly catered to her hip and youthful demeanor.
Another standout track early on in her set was the rousing “Chicago.” The catchy country pop-feeling tune played perfectly into Voegele’s nice-girl image as the singer with a Sarah Jessica Parker-like smile took a noticeably conservative approach in terms of her vocal range. The same cannot be said about the attitude-filled “I Won’t Disagree,” which featured Voegele telling it like it is with a slow bluesy opening. The only thing missing was a smoky room (thank you Ohio voters!).
Obviously still early in her career, Voegele appeared to be making her way through her influences, musically speaking, in hopes of eventually finding her own true sound. There’s the Lenny Kravitz-inspired riffage of “Might Have Been” and the Country Crows-esque “Devil in Me” that put a – for mostly good – jukebox feel on the entire evening. The middle of the show featured a stripped down acoustic set, which was well received by her faithful minions.
The show ended on a high note with “Only Fooling Myself,” which is arguably the best track on “Don’t Look Away.” In fact, if a single is going to break Ms. Voegele to larger audiences across the nation, this is the song that could do the trick. The rousing number, which rocks in a Kelly Clarkson fashion, instantly grabbed the crowd with its breezy melody and hooky chorus.
While Voegele’s relatively short but highly productive singing career reads like an American Idol wish list (opening for John Mayer, Counting Crows, Dave Matthews Band, John Mellencamp, et. al.), her House of Blues show proved the talented artist hasn’t fully blossomed. Perhaps it’s as simple as pointing out Voegele comes across as still being slightly rough around the edges but with a heart full of soul and passion for her craft.
