Cold beer, steamy hot dogs and the heated voice of 24-year-old Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah Slean, known for her hit "Sweet Ones," closed out another season of Buffalo's "Thursday at the Square" this past week.
Clouds and gusty winds were the only uninvited guest at the event as one of two opening bands took the stage at rush hour. Opening the night was the Tom Sartori Band, featuring their namesake frontman and his long running acoustic bar antics. Seated at his piano, Sartori's rendition of Elton John's "Tiny Dancer" proved his talent, while his sense of humor was displayed by turning John Mellencamp's "Jack and Diane" into a "ditty" about Buffalo Bills quarterback Drew Bledsoe.
Playing second, the Toronto-based duo Universal Honey brought the show to a plateau. Vocalist Leslie Stanwyck and bassist Johnny Sinclair stood out amongst their talented band. The catchy rhythms were somewhat overshadowed by the predictable lyrics, leaving the eclectic audience to wonder if they should have stayed home for the NFL's season opening pre-game show, which featured Britney Spears. Sarah Slean took the stage and erased all doubts.
As the gray evening sky slowly darkened into a parade of reds and pinks, the stage lighting followed suit. Splashes of red in Slean's casual attire matched the band's wardrobe and her spunky playfulness. Visions from her poetic songs were foreshadowed in a painted mural above her piano, a companion that she treated in a manner both fierce and gentle.
"It's a beautiful night, I feel it," Slean said before she began the show. "But where are all the stars?"
Playing before a hollering audience filled with testosterone, the 24 year-old brunette kicked off her set with a whimsical version of the Christian folk song "I'm a Poor Wayfarin' Stranger." By jazzing it up with a blues melody, it was a rendition that neglected any folk elements. Her haunting and sexy moans throughout the song delivered a smooth vibe for the evening.
Moving through her line-up of Fiona Apple-esque ballads with a Tori Amos attitude, she would have fit in perfectly with the lineup of Lilith Fair.
Her provocative performance was spent delivering songs from her fourth studio album, the 2002 release "Night Bugs." Lyrics from "Bank Accounts," which Slean described as a song "for the ladies," and "Duncan" among others were sometimes not easily understood, as Slean's lips pulled themselves too close to the microphone, wrapped up in the emotion of the song.
Slean, preparing herself for a "make out" session with her fancy piano, closed her eyes. Similar to a swan dive, her hands became part of the rhythms her band members carried.
Perhaps most striking of all was the sweet and innocent voice that emerged amidst her passionate, and sweat-inducing, banging on the keys of her piano
"Well, now I'm not cold at all." Slean said as she removed her jean jacket.
In between almost every song, Slean flirted with her audience using witty banter and brushes of her dainty hands through her hair. As her performance grew more outrageous towards the end of the show, she offered a suggestion as to where the blame really lay.
"Maybe it's the Loganberry," she mused as she sipped Buffalo's popular juice.
She finally gave the crowd what they had been waiting for with "Sweet Ones." A dedicated, but weather reduced audience sang along with fervor.
After one more song, Slean gave the crowd a final salute and seemingly made her exit. Back on stage almost immediatly to finish off her short set, Slean wrapped up her Thursday night in Buffalo with a new song about starting over, "Day One." The lighthearted number ended the show on a warm note.
Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
