Kaplansky is a Grammy winner in waiting, a fresh singer-songwriter whose lyrics speak to the heart and whose on-stage charm wins over even the most-challenging audiences.
Thursday night, Kaplansky packed Plymouth Congregational Church for a sold-out West Side Folk concert. She played for 1 ½ hours, receiving a standing ovation after a diverse 16-song set and even more cheers after her two-song encore which included an impromptu rendition-turned-singalong of Glen Campbell’s “Wichita Lineman.” (When Kaplansky said she wanted to do a particular song because she was in Kansas, the assumption was that her supple vocal cords would be wrapping themselves around “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” So to hear the first few lines of “Lineman,” a song rarely performed these days, steeped in Kaplansky’s melodic brew was delightful but almost jolting.)
Kaplansky dug into her basket of CDs for the show—“Cry, Cry, Cry,” with Richard Shindell and Dar Williams; “The Tide”; “Flesh and Bone”; and “Ten Year Night.” She delivered each song full force, pleasing the audience with “One Good Reason” about a man struggling with alcoholism, and “Five in the Morning,” about a woman’s struggle to find meaning in her life; Ron Sexsmith’s “Speaking with the Angel,” written after his son was born; and the Nick Lowe classic “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding.”
Kaplansky’s vocal interpretation is masterful. One song she’s angry and revengeful; the next, she’s sensual and spilling her heart. In all cases, her voice is unfaltering and mesmerizing. Stephen Smith, singer-songwriter and fiddle player, opened the concert. Although he seemed off-kilter for the first couple of songs, his performance picked up speed as he sung a variety of songs reminiscent of Bob Dylan and Paul Simon.
