REVIEWS
SHOWS THAT ROCKED TORONTO LAST WEEK
YVETTE TOLLAR and MARY MARGARET O’HARA at Lula Lounge Rating: NNN
NOW MAGAZINE
THE SCENE
Nilan Perera
Wed Aug 25th, 2010
Lula Lounge played host Wednesday to an eclectic evening of music by Canada’s reigning diva of sublime quirkiness, Mary Margaret O’Hara, whose flights of fancy were grounded by collaborator Yvette Tollar’s deep jazz voice. Heavy hitters Hugh Marsh, Kevin Breit and, most notably, the rock-solid Rich Brown and drummer Davide DiRenzo backed them up.
The night had more of a party vibe than a concert feel, with a surprise appearance by a bluesy Dan Aykroyd and a beautifully sweet vocal exchange between Tollar’s young nieces. O’Hara engaged with her surreal MCing and stopped the room with a rendition of Somewhere Over The Rainbow and her own When You Know You Are Happy, while Tollar’s jazz funk originals brought everything down to earth.
The night's overall looseness sometimes stalled its flow, but the audience seemed more than happy to be a part of this celebration.
* * * * * *
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