| Oregon native Olivia Gerber moved to New York City about a year ago where she
continues to pursue her studies and music. At Brooklyn's Southpaw, she opened
Zoe Sundra's CD release party for her album Death By Love Songs. With only her
voice and an acoustic guitar, Gerber proved satisfying and full of potential.
Having heard her play a few times before at venues like Sidewalk Cafe in New
York's East Village, it's frustrating to say that the Southpaw performance was
not her best, perhaps due to the venue's poor sound system.
Gerber even stepped away from the mic at one point, exclaiming that she
didn't like the powerful feedback drowning out her guitar. In any case, she
played a seven-song set, including a new track called "Take the Night." Gerber's
style is folk-like with a tinge of bluegrass. Gerber's song craft is basic. She
primarily fingerpicks the guitar and sticks to a few vocal patterns: a slightly
rough little girl voice and a nasally yet pouty voice, which she often follows
by trilling her voice to prolong the end of her phrases. "Big Feet," which she
also performed, is a perfect representation of Gerber's sound.
It was her "love song for Oregon," as she called it, which really charmed
everyone. Evidence of a sustainable alto-soprano voice, the tune is definitely
Gerber's best. It may be because she sticks to her rough little girl voice.
Gerber finished with "Wearewe?Areweare," a lovely song. She added a little beat
by tapping her guitar and gave up the fingerpicking for some guitar strumming.
Olivia Gerber is worth watching out for. With a little more time, she could
possibly turn into a songstress like that of Cat Power, as both have the same
minimalist approach, but Gerber's vocals remain sweeter than Chan Marshall's.
http://www.myspace.com/liviagerber | 
