Rob Kevlin is a young man with a fine, powerful lyric baritone. At 54 Below on September 24, 2021, Kevlin presented his Silver Screen Serenade. Rob was supported by a trio of excellent musicians, led by musical director and pianist Yaron Gershovsky (the longtime musical director and accompanist for The Manhattan Transfer), along with Boris Kozlov on bass and Clint de Ganon on drums.
Kevlin entered the Feinstein’s stage in a flashy blue jacket with black shirt and slacks, and a white Panama hat, which he removed after the opening medley of “Sway” and “Besame Mucho.” He presented a series of songs whose only connection was that they were introduced or used in movies. The monitors on either side of the stage were used to good effect to present still shots and clips from the movies he referenced. With little in the way of patter or personal stories to let the audience know his connection to the music, or to really get a sense of Kevlin outside of his songs, the show felt to be more of a Las Vegas lounge show than an intimate cabaret.
Kevlin sang “Can’t Help Falling In Love” from the Elvis Presley movie “Blue Hawaii.” After rocking it on “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” which was used in the Queen biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody,” he performed Peggy Lee’s “Fever,” which he did not mention was also a big hit for Elvis. He really showed his vocal prowess on “Somewhere” from West Side Story, which made the most of his classically trained voice. Perhaps Kevlin’s strongest piece was “If I Were a Rich Man,” from “Fiddler On the Roof.” Here, he got a little more personal, telling us it was the song he sang at his bar mitzvah. He encouraged the audience to join him on parts, which lifted the energy in the room.Some choices were puzzling. Rob introduced two “Sinatra songs” as if they came from Sinatra movies. Frank Sinatra did introduce many songs in his films, some written expressly for him. Here, Kevlin performed “The Way You Look Tonight” and “New York, New York,” with arrangements similar to the Sinatra hit records. However, these are not Sinatra movie songs at all, but songs introduced by Fred Astaire in “Swing Time” (1936) and Liza Minelli in “New York, New York” (1977), respectively.
Closing with “The Prayer” and “This is Me,” Kevlin showed that he has power and range, and can also sing with sensitivity.
Kevlin is of Russian heritage, with a Russian-born wife, and brought a large contingent of his Russian family with him. Perhaps because of this influence, Kevlin has what sounds like a tinge of a Russian accent when he sings, though not when he speaks. He has the talent. With a good show director to steer him, his future shows may reach the hearts, as well as the ears, of his audience.
Rob Kevlin
Silver Screen Serenade
Feinsteins/54 Below
254 West 54th Street, NYC