The lovely and talented Ms. Bowersox

Once upon a time, teenagers in Napa (myself included, back in the 90s) used to complain that there was “nothing to do here.” These days, while I’m sure kids get bored no matter where they live, we certainly have more to do and far less to complain about in this fair valley. And how better to spend a drizzly Saturday evening than out our lovely downtown Uptown Theatre enjoying a night’s worth of fantastic music? I could think of nothing else I’d rather do, so I settled in for a good time this past weekend to enjoy Ms. Crystal Bowersox (one of the few American Idol alums I really enjoy). The opening band were a foursome called Montë Mar, and they had some fun songs. Notably, their instruments sounded even better than the vocals. There’s something about the band’s sound that’s vaguely reminiscent of the 80s, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on what exactly made me say so. After “Time,” singer Brian addressed the crowd, saying that they felt lucky to be both opening for and playing with Crystal, and then adding that he found Napa to be a “bad place to have to work,” because “all you want to do is drink wine.” He insisted that they couldn’t do it, adding a little jab at his key player: “except him. He might throw up.” Next came “Different Place,” followed by a new one Brian said was 85 percent ready, asking, “is this crowd an 85% crowd? Is that 100% go for it?” And so they did. “Reason Why” came next, and was the highlight of their set for me. It featured the best vocals from the band as well as showcasing a great harmony between lead singer Brian and key player Bill. They closed their set with a song called “Maybe,” but returned as promised to play for the majority of Bowersox’s set.

The boys of Montë Mar

Crystal Bowersox is a phenom. She looks like she’s about fifteen, but she’s drinking, so you figure she might be around twenty-two. She talks of her husband and her four-year-old son, and sings with a soul older than she could possibly be. Eventually, she reveals she’s twenty-seven. It’s unbelievable, and yet believable: there’s an interesting juxtaposition between the sound of her voice and the confidence with which she carries herself, and the silly, youthful energy she directs at her fans. At the top of the show, there was an open wine bottle set on a stool near Crystal’s mic stand. Bowersox herself came out holding a half-full glass, promptly asking herself whether or not she was drinking a local wine. (We never actually found out: she decided to just say that it was.) The set began with “Everything Falls into Place,” after which Crystal said, “I feel like my life is” (falling into place, presumably). Next she announced, “home is wherever who you love is. Right?” and began a song called “Home.”

When Crystal first addressed the audience, saying she was “so glad you’re here,” someone shouted out, “I love you, Crystal!” and without missing a beat, she smiled and answered, “I love you too!” before opening the title track of her new record, All That for This. While she sang, I took a few notes about her overall sound: a tiny bit country, a bit of a rock edge, a little folk, a good helping of “blue-eyed soul,” a lot of Janis Joplin, and a little Jewel to boot. In other words: Crystal is awesome, and while you can hear plenty of other influences, she definitely has a sound all her own. Also, she’s not shy about gulping down her wine onstage, refilling her glass, and going right on with the show – I even heard a man behind me say “easy, girl!” when she first took a big sip. Her next song was “Someday,” and then she said she only knew “pretty much one joke,” and then interrupted herself to tell one her son had just told her. “How do you know if a train is eating? You hear it chew-chewing!” She was a proud mama, and happy to admit so, saying “he’s gonna be a comedian!” All this while tuning her guitar – that’s full service for a show! “Shine” came next, and was bluesy and so wonderful it gave me genuine goosebumps. At its conclusion, Bowersox put down her guitar, spread her empty arms wide before the crowd and declared, “I’m naked!”

The next song was “Movin’ On,” which she sang without her guitar. I noted that somehow, her voice seemed even bigger than before, filling the theatre all the way to the balcony and back. This girl has so much soul! After filling her glass again, she picked up her guitar once more, telling the crowd, “I sometimes forget the spatial value of my hair!” After just a chord or two of the next song, the audience recognized it and cheered. The song, “Farmer’s Daughter,” includes a little profanity in the lyrics, for which Crystal apologized “if this is an all ages show,” adding that she’s sensitive to that kind of thing. “I have a four year old now!” The performance of this particular song caused me to note simply “wow” for the second time already in the evening, but this time not simply for the song or vocals, but because of the vulnerability and willingness to bare one’s soul. (I’m assuming the song is autobiographical, but I don’t actually know. Either way, it was a powerful moment.) Again there was an “I love you Crystal!” from the crowd, causing Bowersox to respond: “I love you too, I really do. Boop boop be doo.” She then continued by explaining that the older she gets, the less being silly bothers her. “Who f%*&ing cares?” The next song was “I Am,” followed by this announcement: “the next song is called ‘Slut’ and it ain’t about me!” Enough said. It featured a great little guitar solo from Montë Mar’s guitarist/front man Brian, and when it was over, Bowersox reiterated that it was “not about me!” Someone answered from the crowd, “but about somebody!” Crystal smiled and simply said, “this friend of mine…”

“Get Me Out” came next, and was my favorite so far (and even after the whole set was over, remained a highlight of the evening). Crystal has something that can’t be manufactured: all the shiny pretty things that come down the assembly lines in prefabricated pop factories wish they could come close to what she does. But they can’t, and they never will: Crystal’s got authenticity, and she’s genuine. “Welcome to my therapy session!” Crystal said in a funny voice after the song finished, adding, “I don’t know why I made the weird voice. Perhaps it’s the wine.” She took a moment to share her excitement at being cast as Patsy Cline in a Broadway show, saying the next song wasn’t one of Cline’s, but one that Bowersox wrote with her husband for her son after he got stitches. Jakob Dylan, she added, sang it with her on the record, but “couldn’t be here tonight.” The song was appropriately titled “Stitches,” and was followed up by “Here’s Where the Story Ends,” which abruptly ended as the title suggested it should. The band left the stage and Crystal began another song that was quickly recognized by the crowd: “Speak Now” (another personal favorite from the evening).

When the band returned, they began “Dead Weight” and then Bowersox filled her wine glass anew before beginning the fantastic “Till the Whiskey’s Gone,” pausing mid-song to allow most of the members of Montë Mar brief solos as she introduced them. Somehow, the bass player was left out, but perhaps it was planned. It was hard to tell. The audience got really into this song, clapping and singing along when invited. “Cheers to my wine mustache!” Crystal quipped when the song was over. “I know I have one.” She then proceeded to tell the story of a song she began writing with a friend who unfortunately passed before they finished it. She took it to another friend and finished it, and now calls it a “profound thing,” saying she’s “glad to share cowriting credit with both.” The song, “Amen for My Friends,” was one most can relate to, and one I’ll soon be putting on a playlist. It was my favorite of the evening, and the end to Crystal’s full-length set. She ended it by changing the last line to “amen for my fans,” thanking the crowd, saying “see you at Live in the Vineyard!” and telling us to leave feeling great. She walked off the stage to a much-deserved standing ovation, and after a few minutes of enthusiastic applause, returned. “Settle, settle,” she instructed with a smile, saying “I pray I don’t do Leonard wrong” as she began one of the most beautiful cover versions of Mr. Cohen’s “Hallelujah” I’ve ever heard with only the keyboard to back her up. When she had finished, the band returned as Crystal asked if she could have back the guitar pick she’d thrown into the crowd. Eventually, she played “Holy Toledo” to an appreciative room, and the pretty guitar melody was worth whoever had to give that pick back, I’m sure. Much to my delight, and that of other Joplin fans, Crystal opted to close the show with an absolutely brilliant cover of “Me and Bobby McGee,” leaving absolutely nothing to be desired.

And with that, she was gone. She had quite simply blown me away. I’m not much of an American Idol fan, I’ll admit it. But I remember catching glimpses of Crystal’s performances on her season and thinking, “I hope she doesn’t win!” I’m sure that sounds mean, but let me explain: she’s too good at what she does to be put into that machine. She’s organic, and doesn’t need to packaged in such a way by people who want to “help” her with marketing, clothes, image, etc. And as it turns out, I was right: Crystal’s doing just fine on her own.

(This review originally published by Spinning Platters – thanks for sharing!)