The Hotel Café Hollywood CA
Contact: [email protected]
Web: instagram.com/dessydilauro
Players: Dessy Di Lauro, Vocals; Rickey Padget, Keyboards; MJ Holifield, Drums;
Cesar Allen, Guitar; Kayla Starr, BG Vocals; Samantha Schultz, BG Vocals
Material: Canadian born Dessy Di Lauro, is a singer-songwriter dishing out jazzy, R&B/Latin and Gospel(y) tunes in the likes of Gloria Estephan, The Miami Sound Machine and Chaka Khan. Di Lauro is a tiny bit more progressive but that just might be in her live program. The music grooves and makes you want to dance or at the very least, tap your toes and wiggle in your seat.
Musicianship: The stage was filled with Di Lauro’s crew as superb musicianship graced the Hotel Cafe. It took the audience more than half the set to realize that there was no bass player and then only realizing it because you couldn’t see one. Padget was on the keys filling every imaginable hole that needed to be filled and together with Holifield, they created exceptional grooves that the audience absorbed with pleasure.
Performance: Dessy Di Lauro has a great bunch of musicians to make music with. Everyone was into the music and really loving the attention. The background singers really made a difference, not just in the music, but in the visuals in the whole scope of things. They were animated, singing and swaying to the music and even doing little bits of choreography to boot on a tiny stage. Blistering leads from Allan added icing on the cake as he took “Be Still” and “Just Like God” to new heights.
Summary: Dessy Di Lauro, speaking and singing in five different languages, felt she was thrown a curveball when COVID hit the mainland. Everyone was confined to their homes and not much was going on. It was at that time that the best came out of her and she managed to write music that has now become her latest releases. Gifted with an extremely good voice, she sings, serenades and croons her way into her audience’s hearts using tunes like “Catch Me,” with its Cuban, Brazilian, Afro and soulful sounds to fill the room with love and positive vibes. If you’re into soul and R&B, check out Dessy Di Lauro at all your favorite platforms.
