Playbill.com August 20th, 2004

ELLEN GREENE

What makes a great singer? That's a question I've pondered many times throughout the years. With few exceptions, someone cannot be a great singer at 18. A performer can have a great voice, a great instrument, at a young age, but it takes a certain amount of living to become a great singer. She must know great joy and love as well as loss and heartache firsthand. I don't know Ellen Greene's life story, but I would venture to guess that she's experienced her fair share of all of these. For Greene is a great singer — make that an exceptional one. She is that rare breed who can make a song come alive and move a listener profoundly. Over the past few years I've had the pleasure of watching Greene and her musical director-accompanist (and husband) Christian Klikovits perform at Joe's Pub, the intimate cabaret space within the Public Theater. In performance, Greene is never less than riveting, one of the finest song interpreters of her generation. And, on her debut solo recording, "In His Eyes," she manages to do the near-impossible: Greene imbues her studio recording with the wide range of emotion that fills her live performances. Greene possesses a unique, easily identifiable voice. Like Bernadette Peters, that voice has an innate warmth — it is like listening to the comforting sounds of an old friend. And like Peters, the voice is a mix of womanly and girlish tones. Greene can also make you laugh one minute and break your heart the next. "In His Eyes," which features Klikovits on piano, organ and synthesizers, employs a host of other musicians who bring to life Klikovits' beautiful arrangements. The cello, the viola, and the violins all surround Greene's voice with dazzling effect. Bernie Kirsh has also mixed the recording magnificently — there is a perfect balance of voice and accompaniment. The 13-track disc begins with Sarah McLachlan's "I Love You," and from the moment Greene sings "I have a smile stretched from ear to ear to see you walking down the road," she completely hooks the listener and proceeds to take him or her on a 58-minute emotional journey.

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