I can scarcely believe a couple of weeks have gone by since I caught Megan Hilty’s performance at the Theatre Royal, but it was a performance so strong that my memory has barely faded.
The press releases surrounding her maiden Australian tour promised a journey through the Great American Songbook, but her set featured much more than standards. She opened with “Keep Moving the Line,” from the TV series Smash, the first thing that brought her to my attention. As an ardent fan of the series, I was thrilled to hear more of its songs peppering the set, such as “Mr. And Mrs. Smith,” “Let Me Be Your Star,” and the breathtaking “Second Hand White Baby Grand.”
Most of Megan’s career has seen her on the stage rather than the small screen, so it was only fitting that her Broadway turns were acknowledged too with “Popular” from Wicked, “Backwoods Barbie” from 9 to 5, and “Suddenly, Seymour” from the role that got away in Little Shop of Horrors. Stories like the incidences surrounding the part endeared Megan to the already enamored crowd. She spoke in glowing terms of meeting Dolly Parton when cast in her musical and working alongside Idina Menzel and Katherine McPhee and regaled us of personal stories of life with her daughter and husband, the very dishy Brian Gallagher who plays guitar in her exceptional band.
There were the promised standards like “Almost Like Being in Love,” “That’s Life,” and “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend,” a lovely nod to her time channelling Marilyn as Ivy Lynn in Smash. Don Henley’s “Heart of the Matter” didn’t quite seem to gel with the jazz and show tunes, but it’s such a great song I didn’t really mind. Closing with “Rainbow Connection,” a song she plays nightly for her daughter, left us all feeling warm and fuzzy inside.
No matter what Megan treated us to, it was exquisite. She has such a stunning voice, and her Broadway training sees her connecting to the songs in a way few artists do when singing covers.
This was a fleeting visit for Megan, who had to catch a plane the next day to attend the Tony Awards. She assured us she loved our city and wants to come back for a longer stay. I hope she’s a woman of her word, because I think I speak on behalf of everyone at the Theatre Royal when I say we’d welcome her back with open arms.
The venue didn’t allow photography, so here’s a video so you can all see how amazing she is!
The Hurstville Entertainment Centre gave me the intimacy that I was craving last time. The term entertainment centre makes it sound larger than it is. It’s more like an old dinner theatre, with tables at the front to hold the cheese and dessert plates they sell at the bar in the foyer. I was perched in the front row, close enough to see Molly has barely aged since she was a teenage pinup. I certainly don’t have the legs to pull off the glitzy sequined dress she strutted out in!
She smoldered through “Sooner or Later,” convincing us all that she could have easily taken the Madonna role in Dick Tracy she auditioned for. More songs from her album Except Sometimes came, as well as tracks from an upcoming release and others she felt deserve a place in the Great American Songbook. I appreciated the set list, which if my memory serves correctly was a bit more eclectic than the one on her first tour. Jazz standards were well represented, of course, alongside modern cuts from Rufus Wainwright and Elvis Costello and show tunes from My Fair Lady, West Side Story, and Guys and Dolls. Few artists could so convincingly deliver such varied material, but Molly’s acting chops served her well here. Credit should also go to her band; only the pianist tours regularly with Molly but they gelled so well.
The songs were punctuated by Molly’s musings. I hung on her every word. I loved hearing why she selected certain songs, what they meant to her, about roles she’s auditioned for and her life as a wife and mum. While great music matters to me, that personal touch you get when an artist shares themselves with you really makes a concert special. Molly Ringwald might be better known as an actress, but she certainly holds her own as a singer.
The year’s not yet half over, but Adelaide singer-songwriter Sam Brittain may have recorded my favourite album of 2016 in Signal Lights. 
The music industry moves so quickly. That’s one thing you really notice when you take a little time away. Press releases are sent, EPs are released and launched, and what was once timely quickly becomes yesterday’s news. But the funny thing is, even though there’s such a rapid turnover of new music and we’re always quick to race on to the next best thing, the very best music doesn’t date at all. It’s timeless. And that’s why even though Sydney singer-songwriter 
I’ve been sitting on 
Like so many Australians, I’m not a religious person. I flirted with becoming a Junior Soldier with the Salvation Army when I was a kid, but I think that ambition was driven more from a desire to play the tambourine than any deep-seated faith. Today I only go to church for weddings, christenings, and funerals. I identify as agnostic, not quite prepared to dismiss the idea of a higher power completely but fairly ambivalent about the whole religion thing.
It’s hard to believe that it’s been seven years since I heard my first 
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from 
I love coming across music that sparks something in me, songs that I have an instant connection with. Just one song won’t do. I need to hear more and get a more complete sense of who that artist is. So after listening to “Edge of Nowhere,” I had to fire up the advance stream of Pacific’s self-titled EP. In just five tracks I learned that these guys are certainly the real deal.