Fri 1/16 @ 8PM
Area music fans have observed with delight the return of Akron’s Tracey Thomas to the scene. Known in the late ’70s and ’80s as the area’s liveliest and spunkiest new wave singer, fronting the promising band Unit 5, she disappeared for a while before returning in the mid ’90s with a couple of well-crafted singer/songwriter-type solo albums. She’s continued to work in that vein, often with fellow Akron singer/songwriter Ryan Humbert, a generation younger but a kindred soul.
And she’s broadened her musical scope as well, tackling traditional country/bluegrass and jazz — the later most notably with her Billie Holiday tribute Fine and Mellow: The Music of Billie Holiday.
She’ll be performing that show with the Tracey Thomas Quintet at the Akron Civic Theatre as part of its intimate cabaret series. She’ll sing classics associated with Holiday such as “God Bless the Child,” “Stormy Weather,” “Lady Sings the Blues” and “Strange Fruit.” The maturity and depth she’s gained over the years serve the material well.
Tickets are $25 or two for $45.