I first met Mark OToole in the late 1980′s. He was a local performer with a phenomenal voice and a strong sense of stage presence. To give you a sense of his stage presence, he typically appeared on stage alone, with the only musical accompaniment being a prerecorded music track. Sometimes he had a friend on guitar, and Mark often played guitar as well – if I’m not mistaken – but even when it was just him, alone, you had to watch. Most importantly, you had to listen.
Mark’s music has shifted over the years, but standards were always an important part of his repertoire. He’s been performing for years in Las Vegas, and his new CD The Crooner, is a perfect encapsulation of what Mark can do. He has a beautifully warm and deep voice, and absolute control over that voice. Most singers allow far too much vibrato in their voice when they hold longer notes, but Mark can use a little, a lot, or none at all and hold a crystal clear note for bar after bar. It really is a pleasure to hear a voice like his finally captured on disc. On this CD, he opens with Madeleine Peyroux’s “Don’t Wait Too Long” for a touch of the contemporary, and moves throughout popular songs with an ear for classics like “When I Fall In Love” and beloved yet under-performed songs like “Maybe This Time,” and “We’ll Meet Again.” The arrangements are great, the production is excellent, and anyone who enjoys hearing a truly great voice will enjoy this disc. I know I do!
