With music, as with clothes, always try before you buy. Juliet Annerino's CD "Scenes from a Life on Fire is on sale for LE 30, and it appears convenient to buy one before the concert; before it's crowded, you think, and they run out. Annerino is introduced on the leaflet as an American jazz singer. Hailing from Los Angeles, she started singing as early as 12 years old "in the subways of Chicago. Later she graduated to private events, nightclubs, and theaters - a legacy that has left a mark on her onstage attire. In May 2006, Annerino also directed and produced the cabaret show "The Lord's Lover in Hollywood. In 2008, she posed as Ms. July for a calendar raising funds for Ron Paul's campaign. The blurb on Annerino's CD offers information on a range of scandals seemingly unrelated to music. "Secret Life is a self-aggrandizing number hinting at more of the same. With Oriental-ish music, the often off-key vocals sing trite lyrics that are to be the night's theme: "They say she leads a secret life / And once that she was some man's wife..They say she's tearing her apart / They want to vivisect her heart. Having had a taste of her music, you enter the hall with trepidation. Yet the concert held on Sunday night at the Sawy Culture Wheel had a spectacular beginning. Annerino dressed in a dramatic outfit reads out Sufi poetry by 19th century Sufi poet Hafiz. The musical accompaniment of "Cocoon, led by pianist Hesham Galal, gives a lift to the words that complements the flourishes of the tanoura dancer's skirt. With little to say about her music, it is easy to concentrate on Annerino's other features; a remarkable face - somewhat of a cross between Angelina Jolie and Gina Davis, and an interesting dress sense that no doubt draws inspiration from the theater of the absurd. Annerino, who we saw briefly wearing a jeans and a t-shirt before the performance, was transformed onstage into a vision in red with a gold headpiece reminiscent of a Pharaonic queen. Despite - or perhaps because of - its oddity, her dress offers a pleasant psychedelic trip. For the second half her black coat-tails, matching top-hat, and white boa share the stage with Mokhtar Hussain's colorful tanoura-skirt. Yet as the vocal performance begins, disappointment sets in. Annerino's repertoire offers lyrical bores, culled from her record, such as "Follow me / Take my hand / I'll set you free / You'll understand. A lounge-music number ominously called "Drowning could have been ably performed by a singer like Sade. Smooth trumpet sounds make you almost but not quite forgive her for crooning, "Let's talk about love. Let's talk about L.O.V.E. Ranging from retro-jazz to the neo-soul, all genres are doomed to suffer Annerino's lyrics. The Riff Band front-man Ahmed Harfoush found Annerino's performance to be "absolutely horrendous. Harfoush thwarted my suspicion that I was out of touch with possibly contemporary post-modern interests in off-key notes. "She had no voice, no enunciation. She was out of tune most of the time. The song "Happy Cats, whose pensive tones on the violin contrast with hopeful lyrics on the CD, was given a happy-go-lucky interpretation onstage, and Annerino's voice often went off-key on the higher notes. Harfoush, whose vocal performances have also been accompanied by Cocoon's pianist Hesham Galal, said, "They [the band] don't deserve her. When asked how the collaboration occurred, an almost apologetic Galal said, "Over the internet. Annerino found Galal's details online and called him up, sending her music sheets beforehand. They met two days before their first concert on Sunday. Annerino's compositions, although interesting, do not carry an original sound. A mish-mash of 70s and 80s pop, the music is enjoyable, and Cocoon's interpretation of the compositions saved the night. "Cigarette provided a much-needed break from the other sub-standard tunes. Musical director Hesham Galal gave the song a cha-cha-cha note-lift, adding a bounce to the mostly charming lyrics. The song, we were told thrice, would feature on Nile FM if we called in at 10 PM on Wednesday. It would have greater potential if it did not dip sometimes into the later hackneyed rhymes like "You know I got a light, and this could feel so right. What occurred was an absurdist theatrical display relying heavily on costume and A-B-A-B rhymes. While Annerino's compositions are competent, without the key element - the ability to sing - the performance is easily forgettable. To use Annerino's words, "What goes up in smoke, disappears into thin air. Save your money and buy CDs to music you've heard before. For those interested, an almost-new copy of Annerino's latest production will be on sale for half-price at the Swiss Club Spring Bazaar on May 15. Juliet Annerino is performing tonight at the Cairo Jazz Club at 9 pm, at El Geneina Theater on May 14 at 8 pm, and at The Purple Lounge on May 15 at 10 pm. For more information, visit Annerino's website: www.julietannerino.com.
