IT CAN HAPPEN TO ANYONE - ELISABETH WITHERS
Broadway audiences know Elisabeth Withers as Shug Avery in “The Color Purple.” The singer/songwriter is also a graduate of the Berklee School of Music and New York University. But don’t let those credentials fool you into thinking Withers is a highbrow who doesn’t possess the right stuff to command mainstream attention. Right from the gospel-hued opener “Simple Things,” Withers’ deep, full-bodied voice draws you in. She goes lighter but no less warm and engaging on the love song “Heartstrings,” singing longingly of a romance that makes her “want to scream high like Tina.” She can shift down into funk (the title track) and then slip into easy steppin’ mode (the girls night out number “Get Your Shoes On”). Here’s hoping musical success beyond the Broadway stage happens for this deserving artist. Billboard
