What a voice! What a voice! What a voice!
If you came to see Marina Diamantis, there is no doubt you came to hear THE voice. That’s the only thing I kept repeating to myself throughout the recent hour-plus Marina and the Diamonds concert at Webster Hall in NYC. This Welsh prodigy has a set of vibrant pipes that never once faltered in her performance.
What is amazing about this Catherine Zeta-Jones look-alike is the range of vocals that come out of her tiny little body. She’s raw, fashionable and mesmerizing. Though she has her own distinctive vocal style, there are definitely hints of Kate Nash, Gwen Stefani and Florence and the Machine that trickle out from time to time.
Setting a playful tone from the start, Marina made her stage entrance, seductively flirty, in a school girl uniform with colorful platform shoes (she had another costume change in the middle of the show) backed by pretty impressive lighting and visuals. It really gave the audience the feeling of being part of a live music video. She opened with the ridiculously fun “Girls” off of her debut album “The Family Jewels” and from that moment until the end of the show, she was captivating.
Never once stagnant on stage, Marina had some slick, interpretative dance moves (and she’s got some moves!) to go with her poppy vocals. Her performances of “Seventeen” and “Hermit” were met with huge cheers. The ‘80s throwback in these songs gave a unique twist to Marina’s dance pop style and musical individuality. Marina, who is truly gracious about her fanfare, invited the audience to sing choruses, clap along and give a good ol’ American “OW!” as she called it. She was engaging, witty and quite chatty, even taking off her shoes at one point to better jump around the stage. And the audience loved her right back as evident in a die hard sing-a-long of her hit, “I Am Not a Robot.”
I couldn’t get enough of her. Marina did a couple of solo renditions on the piano, including “Obsessions,” and even introduced a new song, “Jealousy,” which is still upbeat, but a little more ballad-like compared to most of the songs on “The Family Jewels.” When Marina invited the fans to raise their glasses and join her in belting the lyrics to the disco-infused “Shampain,” I found myself dancing and mouthing the words. (And did I mention the killer vocals this chick has?!)
Marina closed her set with the seductive track “Guilty,” but not before getting back on the piano for the final encore and closing it off with the crowd pleaser, “Hollywood,” which inspired more sing-alongs from the mob of fans.
Marina’s performance was one of those few instances where I wish an artist had another album of material that could have kept this playful concert going for a little while longer. Truly an entertainer, Marina is a rock star in the making!
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