The Bird and the Bee
Esplanade Theatre Studio
Wednesday

The pairing of the bird and the bee suggests a flight of fancy and whimsy, and at their best, Southern Californian popsters Inara George and Greg Kurstin put together playful music with an appealing pop sensibility lightly dusted with the sophistication of jazz.
The cosy theatre studio was the intimate setting for their highly anticipated show, the first Mosaic event to sell out when ticket sales were launched.
It attracted a full house standing crowd of about 300, comprising hipsters and young working professionals.
George’s slightly husky pipes were shown off to good effect on the opening track Spark. And live, her breathy vocals on the higher registers sounded more substantial.
While her light-as-air stylings worked on tracks like Again & Again and Polite Dance Song, it can seem like mere pretty posturing on something like I’m A Broken Heart.
Also, most of the numbers were rather straightforward renditions of the versions committed to disc.
F***ing Boyfriend, the first single from The Bird And The Bee album, was one of the tracks which had a chance to breathe a little more on stage.
It would have been nice to see them have some fun with their songs. After all, that would be perfectly in keeping with the spirit of much of their material.
The duo were backed by two singers, a drummer and a guitarist. The women wore headbands, white gloves and candy-coloured shift dresses, giving off a 1960s Hairspray-era vibe which fitted in comfortably with the music.
There was not too much patter between songs though George showed off some Singlish phrases she had picked up, “Wah lau eh” and “Why you so like that”, to the appreciative crowd.
Still, the connection with the audience was only intermittent and she was content to stand in the centre of the stage for most of the show.
An unexpected highlight turned out to be the cover of the Bee Gees’ How Deep Is Your Love late in the performance. George and Kurstin managed to imbue it with a fragile beauty that was 100 per cent cheese-free.
With one full-length album and two EPs under their rather slim belt, the set ended in a little over an hour.
You could say it was a pleasant enough evening with The Bird And The Bee, but it was nothing to crow about really.
(ST)