COLUMN: Michael Paskevich

Clint Holmes




MICHAEL PASKEVICH

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     Everybody's rooting for Clint Holmes, the multitalented entertainer who is seeing a dream come true as an overdue headliner on the Las Vegas Strip, where he pursues his unique craft at Harrah's Las Vegas.
      Fellow artists and others who admire Holmes' handling of a fading genre -- the singing, dancing and personable jack-of-all-trades performer as defined by the late, great Sammy Davis Jr. -- realize that Holmes is truly the last entertainer to pursue the format with such verve and commitment. And talent.
      While the cordial Holmes, as warm and engaging offstage as on, is pursuing a concept that's something of a mystery to most folks born after the era of star-driven variety shows, strong marketing and word-of-mouth praise should erase misguided notions of an "old-fashioned" show.
      Also, Holmes must establish a stronger identity to quell questions about who he is and better explain what he does onstage that earns nightly standing ovations.
      A longtime Atlantic City showroom fixture where he was a steady winner of countless kudos for his formidable skills, Holmes hit Las Vegas last year where he was somewhat lost in the shuffle of fleshy topless revues that finally led Golden Nugget officials to shut down all its shows and the downtown resort's intimate headliner room.
      But Holmes landed on his feet for his big shot as a Strip headliner, and is surely poised to become the city's best all-around entertainer if positive reviews spread as expected.
      An early week performance of "Takin' It Uptown" in front of regular patrons -- as opposed to often-misleading, free-shrimp gigs staged for the local media -- found Holmes revealing another twist to his winning show in the form of singer Natalie Reiter, a former principal in Bally's "Jubilee!" who replaced media-night singer Shonica.
      With only a few hours of rehearsal earlier in the day, the willowy, blond-haired Reiter was mostly on cue and always in key as she complemented Holmes' wide-ranging vocal skills with her strident and soulful harmonies and solos. Remarkable for opening night, really, and her arrival suggests the already top-level show will grow even stronger in short order.
      Bill Fayne, Holmes' longtime musical director reveals an offbeat sense of humor during chatty interplay with Holmes, whose musical influences are reflected in his heritage of having a white British opera singer for a mom and a black jazzman as dad. The rest of the loose-mannered yet technically stellar band includes a five-piece brass section and added percussionists who handle Fayne's creative arrangements (of newer tunes and standards) with equally obvious intent to help their boss in bids for stardom and the vacant title of the "New Mr. Las Vegas."
      Fayne's softly dramatic piano work, recalling Bruce Springsteen's intro to "Thunder Road," heralded Holmes' entrance amid swirling lights and sundry effects. Decked out in a long white jacket that recalls '40s-era zoot suits, Holmes thanked the crowd for turning out as his band roared into the show's title track, the infectious "Takin' It Uptown," which is built around lush and catchy changes wisely repeated at the end of the well-paced 95-minute show.
      Sax-player Phillip Wigfall has a melodious and mellow "quiet storm" approach to jazz that soars nicely over a jazz-inflected take on Eric Clapton's "Change the World." The tune reveals Holmes' diverse skills as a singer who can play it gentle and romantic or, when required, employ a playful yet commanding soprano that highlights a flair for replicating the sounds of his band's instruments.
      Add some staccato scat riffing and Holmes is probably one of the only singers (along with Bobby McFerrin and Al Jarreau) who is able to duplicate such sounds with added voice-wrought percussion effects. These unusual clicks, conga solos and timpanilike bottom notes are very effective when juxtaposed with his musician's own solos.
      And unlike other singers fearful of being diminished by powerhouse solos, Holmes give his band remarkable room for inventive licks as he cheers them on. Wigfall and top-notch guitarist Jerry Lopez handle most of the show's hottest solos, but everyone in the band has space to show his stuff, wading in and out of the songs that often lead to a big finishes.
      Some of the musicians' punctuation points are a bit blaring, but Holmes' clean and well-enunciated vocals are only briefly lost to the din of the band at full blast.
      Charming without seeming forced, Holmes has the rare ability to make first-timers feel like they've known him for years. His between-tune patter and nicely delivered jokes based on real-life situations further enhance the easy vibe as Holmes alternates between romantic ballads -- "For the First Time" and a stately take on Elton John's "Your Song" -- to more frivolous tunes such as Harry Belafonte's "Banana Boat Song" that evoked loud "Day-O" responses from an involved audience.
      A segment dedicated to singer/songwriters gave Holmes the opportunity to cover some of his favorite tunes such as McFerrin's "Don't Worry, Be Happy," Stevie Wonder's "Sir Duke" and an excellent teaming with saxophonist Wigfall on the underrated Bill Wither's "Just the Two of Us."
     Some of the covers are too short, just a chorus or two, which works against Marvin Gaye's immortal "What's Going On" and a medley that combines John Lennon's "Imagine" with the rousing final choruses of the Beatles' "Hey Jude."
      Reiter chipped in to fine effect on a duet to Kenny Loggins' "Whenever I Call You Friend," and the band tossed in a few sendups of their own while gathered around Fayne's grand piano in a semiunplugged set.
      Holmes was perched at the edge of the stage to serve up a quartet of selections from "Comfortable Shoes," an autobiographical work intended for Broadway that focuses on the difficulties of being born to racially mixed parents. "Hell to Heaven" has simplistic lyrics -- written through a 5-year-old's eyes -- yet is a heart-grabber. "The Rendezvous" number, set in a smoky jazz club, allows Holmes to wax nostalgically but minus any sense of pseudo-sincerity.
      This guy's the real deal, an honest, amusing and dedicated craftsman who should be able to overcome both relative anonymity and false conceptions. Of course, a hit record would change all of that overnight, but Holmes is too bright to be thinking of miracles.
      What Holmes needs at this point is time, in addition to working Reiter into the affair to best effect, is for word to spread of his incredibly energetic and multifaceted show. That will raise his status and profile as well as take an already rewarding show over the top in this critic's grading system. Not that he'll be unhappy with his midterm rating.
      "Takin' It Uptown" is presented at 7:30 and 10 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday; and at 9 p.m. Wednesday and Friday in the main showroom at Harrah's Las Vegas, 3475 Las Vegas Blvd. South. Tickets are $44.95.
      Grade: B+
     
      Michael Paskevich's entertainment column appears Fridays and Sundays.