NATALIE DOUGLAS / REVIEWS

Although she has a voice of size and substance, she does not come out of a belting gospel tradition. Instead of transforming a song into a roof-raising, lavishly ornamented hallelujah, her tendency is to understate it in a flexible style that stirs in varying degrees of pop, jazz and blues, with decoration kept to a minimum. Her most obvious role models are relatively self-contained performers like Nancy Wilson and Thelma Houston. Not a belter, but a balladeer with a subtle mix of styles… a promising, complicated performer.

Though you hear hints of Nancy Wilson and Phyllis Hyman in her big, booming voice, she's a sensuous and stirring singer with a sound that's all her own. And when she belts, she's got enough pipes to outfit a plumber's convention. The truth is…she's got everything.

She's simply gathered songs she likes, be they from the worlds of country, jazz, Broadway or Tin Pan Alley. And there's some excellent material that will be new to many listeners - so well suited to the intimate medium of cabaret. She sells it well.

Barbara & Scott Siegel, BACKSTAGE PUBLICATIONS

Natalie Douglas, playing to sold out houses at The Firebird Café, puts on a show that demonstrates both her vocal prowess and her delicacy of interpretation. Rather that blow the roof off the place with every number (of which she is capable), she chooses instead to blow your mind. The beauty and musicianship of the show never let up. Her act, like her immensely playable CD, is titled, "Not That Different," but it is different, because this show marks a major turning point in Douglas' career - she's becoming a star. You can see it and hear it…and the audience claps hard and long.

David Finkle, OUT MAGAZINE

Big, buxom Natalie Douglas says her mother taught her to sing while they were bustling around in the kitchen. Perhaps the radio was on and they were stopping at every station along the dial, because today, Douglas's repertoire is a brimming grab bag. She'll use her burnished mezzo to toss off "The Joint Is Really Jumpin' Down At Carnegie Hall," but then mention life's underside with something…heartstopping.

Things are looking up for the sensational Natalie Douglas, who gives her Firebird audiences and eye-, and earful. I missed his faboo singer in the cluttered schedule around the JVC Jazz Festival and have been kicking myself in the ass ever since. Don't make the same mistake. Drop your plans for a Bucks County weekend, and go hear Douglas' sophistication and splendor. You can say you knew her when.

Natalie Douglas is back and better than ever. Long considered a first-rate singer, Douglas has won a fistful of awards and a devoted cabaret following even though she's yet to break-through to a wider audience and a higher echelon of acclaim...all that will be changing soon. Douglas has never been in better voice...perhaps the greatest compliment that can be paid Douglas at this juncture is that her voice and 'sound' are distinctly her own. Like Nancy Wilson, Nina Simone and Abbey Lincoln before her, all singers who have influenced her and to whom she can variously be compared, Douglas' tone and timbre are unmistakable. Douglas now sings with more power, support and-most importantly-unbridled joy than ever before...amazing."

With a smooth bourbon, lower register and a judicious belt, Natalie Douglas advances herself as one of the exceptional storytellers in cabaret today. "That's Why They Call Me Shine," is a familiar tune from the film Casablanca, where Dooley Wilson gave it an uptempo treatment. As a ballad by Douglas, the song is a powerhouse.

The roof shook as her voice echoed across the island of Manhattan. Needless to say, the SRO crowd was left demanding more. The multi-talented Douglas has proven she is well on the way to gaining the major attention that's eluded her for too long - this diva's on the move. In a roller coaster of emotion, she rips into some rhythm and blues ballads that instantly recall a younger Nancy Wilson. The rangy multi-octave voice belts to the rafters and smolders the embers when needed. A diva to be reckoned with.

Named one of HX Magazine's 20 people to watch in the year 2000: Chanteuse Natalie Douglas has been an attraction in cabaret circles for years now, however, with the release of her debut CD "Not That Different," we anticipate Natalie's popularity to spread far beyond the cabaret circuit and well into the millennium.

From Natalie Douglas, the diva with the social conscience, comes her long awaited debut CD - "Not That Different." Nothing could be further from the truth because Douglas is an artistic voice which is rare indeed. The exceptional title track about the similarities of the human spirit in all of us and the song, "Small Day Tomorrow," are delicately delivered with a light touch on the ivories from Mark Hartman while Douglas, providing a chilling vocal, moves into an emotional place so truthful it allows listeners their own release. Her signature number Satan's Li'l Lamb, one of the few rousing numbers on the disc, is a spirited joy showing off a power belt which Douglas uses sparingly but wisely. If you're looking for a distinctive sound it's Natalie Douglas with "Not That Different."

A young singer with a promising career ahead of her. She's rapidly becoming a favorite and it's easy to see why: a warm and expansive personality, wedded to a burnished voice that can go from belt to whisper in a single phrase.

She gets to the heart of a song lightly and effortlessly, but squarely and with assurance and consummate musicianship. Her ballads - all sung with exquisitely fluid technique…are riveting in their simplicity and perfection. "Ain't Got Nothin' But The Blues" put me in mind of a comment by Joe Williams made about singing the blues with a smile; Douglas' smile at the end says it all. This is a very personal evening, suffused with her manifest joy - of music and of life. She combines a great set of pipes with personal charm, intelligence and great taste in material - and man, can she sing!

Natalie Douglas may call her company Wrong Black Girl Productions (she'll be glad to tell you why), but 2000 is turning out to be the right year for this ultra-talented cabaret singer. She's made a successful debut at the posh Caviarteria in the Soho Grand and is now packing the room at the tony Firebird Café. While the show is called "Not That Different," in honor of the self-produced CD (the title cut, a gorgeous pop paean to the universality of human feeling), it showcases just how different Douglas is from the lesser ranks of would-be divas. She concentrates as much on the emotional honesty of the songs as on vocal pyrotechnics.

Natalie Douglas, rather deceivingly, has a small, airy voice - or at least she may start a song that way. But as she sings, her voice builds and deepens with a lush, jazz thickness. She is considered what Green Acres' Eva Gabor would call a "shoosting star," a friendly, unimposing presence with a monstrous talent. She expertly handles a diverse repertoire that captures the gentle texture of her voice. Her strength has always been the tempered emotions she brings to her music.

A brief piano introduction, Natalie Douglas walks to the mike, and her audience understands quickly why this young vocalist with an effervescent personality, come-hither voice, wide vocal range and strongly dramatic delivery, in a few short years has won the Bistro Award, a MAC Award and The MAC Hanson Award. A clear-eyed, quick witted and compelling performer.

All conversation in the room stops. Natalie's voice is warm and rich, like chocolate dripping on a clarinet, but it's her lyrical delivery that takes their collective breath away. She's got a style that's touching and confidential; she's your best friend and she's telling you all her secrets. Douglas may soon be joining those at the top and in the money…with her recently released first CD and packed house at the Firebird Café.

I heard a remarkable singer, who I chanced upon at the Cabaret Convention singing but two short and wonderfully expressive and moving songs. A high talent level. Is she better than most pop singers out there? Unquestionably.