In the world of acoustic music, a girl with a guitar can easily end up sounding like all the others. The really successful acts are those where the artist can show some of her spirit through the music.
Talan took the stage and introduced her set by loosely classifying all her songs as either “looking for love songs, or found love songs.” Within the first few moments of her solo performance, it was clear that she had a style and sense that was all her own. Talan’s vocals and phrasing were uniquely and carefully executed and her set was alternately made up of new, unreleased material and songs from her two albums.

The many highlights of her set included, “Forgiven,” one of the more eerie “looking for love” songs featuring beautifully haunting vocals, and “How Will He Find Me?” an honestly self-deprecating song that captures a vulnerable place in a woman’s mind. Equally so was “Comfort,” a soft and poignant song that touched on the insecurities involved in bringing a child into today’s world.
Two really interesting songs that Talan sang were the literature-based “Cherry Trees” and “Tell Your Story Walking.” The former borrowed lines from a poem by Pablo Neruda, and the latter was inspired by the novel Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem.
As she navigated her way through her set, Talan showcased an outstanding grasp of creative melody as well as a love for words. She was confident and at ease in her performace and was a pleasure to watch.
Talan used her guitar and voice to convey a sense of herself to the audience and left a lasting impression of more than just another girl with a guitar.
Opening for Talan was Steve Tannen, who took the stage without any pretense of importance. Not waiting for the house lights to be dimmed, he casually asked the small, intimate audience whether he could start.

Instantly likable, Tannen opened with an upbeat tune entitled “San Fransisco,” featuring a comfortably driving guitar part. Tannen was at ease the moment he stepped on the stage in his black t-shirt and jeans. He bounced around the stage in motions that can often seem cliché and distracting, but was able instead to use them to contribute to his magnetic stage presence.

He invited Talan on stage for his second number, the bluesy “Sing Me to Sleep,” the first of several songs the two would sing together through- out the evening. As a lead in to his last song, “Shelter Hotel,” Tannen shared a story about a New York City subway platform, a missed train, a pretty girl with lots of luggage and an overdressed homeless man speaking Ukrainian. The story’s kicker, which captured Tannen’s self-aware and charming personality, were the lyrics “In my one moment of glory, I said, ‘It’s not that I’m important, it’s just that no one understands me.’
As a duo, Deb Talan and Steve Tannen worked extremely well together. Their vocals blended in an easy and fluid way that further captivated the audience.

The duo’s obvious respect for one another’s work came through in the carefully executed harmonies and it was clear that they thoroughly enjoyed performing with each other. Tannen respectfully added his touch to Talan’s well crafted songs and Talan took the lead vocal on “I Can’t Say for Sure,” a song written by Tannen.
While each of the performers were capable and very engaging, the shining moments of the evening came when the two combined efforts on stage.