Patricia Zentilli is one such star. She can be seen singing in theatres across the country from her own cabaret at the TD Canada Trust Jazz Festival last July to recent productions of Variations on a Nervous Breakdown (Talk is Free Theatre), Little Shop of Horrors (Canadian Stage Company/ Dora Award Nomination), and soon you’ll want to see her in Acting Up Stage’s production of William Finn’s A New Brain. From the first time I heard Zentilli’s heartbreaking rendition of “Somewhere That’s Green”, I wished there was some way to take a bit of the gorgeousness home with me. And now you can!
Zentilli has teamed up with powerfully talented pianist Patti Loach to create a beautiful compilation album of musical theatre and cabaret songs entitled Pull Me Through. She infuses each song with her unmatchable sincerity and sweet, gentle subtly, making this the perfect album to play as you snuggle into your warmest blanket with a cup of something warm to relax after a stressful day.
Pull Me Through is a journey in poignant- yet ultimately heartwarming- song through the experiences of love, loss, and the perspective we gain as we grow. It is also an album rooted in the faith that even if we’re “covered with scars [we] did nothing to earn,” there will always be someone there to “pull [us] through.”
I have been listening to this album steadily since November and it is one I am certain I’ll never tire of. It is impossible for me to pick a favourite track because each time I listen, the songs seem to resonate differently, and the poetry of the words and the music and Zentilli’s gorgeous voice continue to strike different, personal chords deep in my heart. “The Babysitter’s Here” sparkles with all the innocence and goodness of youth. “Love Quiz” is a perfect match for Zentilli’s nuanced voice, and it is a marvel how well she can convey every contradictory, overlapping emotion simply in her voice. Her rendition of Jonathan Monro’s “Who I Am” will leave you awestruck, and the title track “Pull Me Through” is a paragon of beauty that may leave you with tears in your eyes.
All the elements are perfectly balanced here- the beauty of Zentilli’s voice, the dynamic elegance of Loach’s piano playing, and the poignancy of the lyrics of each song. The album is available at CD Baby http://cdbaby.com/cd/zentilliloach as well as at these fine stores located in Toronto: Theatre Books (11 Saint Thomas Street), Song and Script (2 Bloor Street West), r.u. studios- Rosemarie Umetsu’s gorgeous fashions- (96 Avenue Road), and L’Atelier Grigorian (70 Yorkville Avenue). The album design itself is absolutely breathtaking; it is hands down the most visually gorgeous CD that I own.
I’m not the only one talking about the brilliance of this album and the magnificence that is Patricia Zentilli. According to the Manhattan Users Guide, which also has nice things to say about Barbara Cook and Patti LuPone, Zentilli “aces every one of the great cuts on her… album.” Check it out!
http://manhattanusersguide.com/article.php?id=1535
Patricia Zentilli is a Canadian theatrical treasure. Hurry up and get “pulled through”!! For even more information, visit her website http://www.patriciazentilli.com/ and then visit Patti Loach’s website as well: http://www.pattiloach.com/.
