Cleve Fantastic After All These Year (Great Band!)
by Wurtzy25 on 4/3/18Birchmere - AlexandriaI've first heard Cleve Francis sing (back when he used to accompany himself on the guitar) in 1968. I've always loved his voice, his phrasing, his range - and he has a unique ability to make the songs he chooses to sing seem as if he wrote them himself. I was a bit surprised when he began to show up on the country charts, but, not really. His singing style has always incorporated aspects of folk, blues, gospel, country, rock and roll, and even the old standards. ("Fly Me to the Moon" was a real surprise, but his rendition was great!). And it was nice to hear him include a Harry Chapin song, because he was singing those back in the Sixties. (Maybe next year he'll drop in a Dylan tune.) At any rate, the concert was fantastic, especially the second set, which was a more "mixed bag" of songs for showing off his diverse vocal talents, as well as the instrumental capabilities of his absolutely superb 12-member backing band. And I'm very much looking forward to attending Cleve's annual day-before-Easter concert at the Birchmere next year! (I'll just have figure how to get from MD to VA without going through the mob on the mall!