"When Jennifer Roberts takes the stage, you are struck with several thoughts. One: this is a lady who belongs onstage. It is her comfort arena. She is relaxed, confident and immediately puts the audience at ease. Two: when she opens her mouth, you’re enveloped in a glorious voice. A voice that can go anywhere she needs or wants to go. The sound is at once rich & sweet, exciting & warm. Three: She has put together a show that is going to take you on a journey that is poignant, a wonderful journey filled with both known and obscure material. An evening celebrating the lyrics of Sheldon Harnick." ~Thomas Mills, for Cabaret Hotspot - NYC
"She excels at ballads, and in a jazz or swing mode, and can even have fun with country – There is nothing tentative about her, and she successfully communicates feelings behind the lyrics, thereby achieving both precision and passion." ~William Wolf - Wolf Entertainment Guide - NYC
"Lyricist Sheldon Harnick could hardly have asked for a more exuberant or heartfelt early birthday celebration than the one Jennifer Roberts threw for him in the form of her show at Don't Tell Mama, "Jennifer Roberts: She Loves...Sheldon!" Her upfront fan-girl enthusiasm for her favorite lyric writer, dating back to well before she played the leading role of Amalia in She Loves Me in college, combined with her diligent research into his lesser-known work and a powerful stage voice of great range, made for a mostly satisfying and certainly different sort of tribute show, and an overdue one to a deserving lyricist." ~Robert Windeler - Bistro Awards - NYC
"There were also songs of great poignancy with That’s How Much I Missed You and Where Do I Go From Here? In both these songs Roberts’ ability as an artist is on full display. She not only feels these characters, she brings them to life and makes them her own. We don’t feel as if we’re seeing a performance but a raw, vulnerable woman who is sharing her pain and pathos with a hushed and grateful audience." ~ Thomas Mills - Cabaret Hotspot NYC
"It is clear that who she is and what she feels combine as a force for getting into the emotions of songs that have special meaning for her." ~ William Wolf - Wolf Entertainment Guide - NYC
"Roberts has a truly stunning voice." ~ Thomas Mills - Cabaret Hotspot - NYC
"She is luminous as she takes the mike and moves confidently through a well-chosen repertoire, ideally suited for her well-trained voice and warm personality." ~ William Wolf - Wolf Entertainment Guide - NYC
"a powerful stage voice of great range" ~ Robert Windeler - Bistro Awards NYC
CD- AN EVENING WITH JENNIFER ROBERTS~ "People unfamiliar with Ms. Roberts' work might be initially surprised by what a pretty voice this is, but it is authentically pretty, a pleasure to hear, made even more so by her skill at emoting through the lyric, a skill breathtakingly balanced with song-styling mastery reminiscent of Anita O'Day or Nancy Wilson." ~ Stephen Mosher - Broadway World
"Perfection and the joy of life, this is what comes out when listening to this album with syrupy jazz, which makes you want to settle in a concert hall and watch/ listen to Jennifer Roberts who seems to be having fun throughout this album. But make no mistake, it is an art in its own right and which, under the guise of ease, requires a high level of work." ~ Thierry Docmac - Bayou Blue Radio- Paris Move
"It does not take long into listening to the opening medley of "Travel/The Glamorous Life/ The Little Gray House" to realize that Roberts has a special presence that makes you look forward to hearing the entire program. Her voice welcomes you immediately, the songs are well chosen, and having Firth’s piano and the bass of Steve Doyle provides the perfect setting for her vocalizing. Her experience in musical theater enables her to give believable life to the material that she performs." ~ Joe Lang - Jersey Jazz
"There are quite a few ballads on the CD, a genre she can clearly sink her teeth into with prime storytelling ability." ~ Marilyn Lester - Theater Pizzazz
"With the genius of pianist and arranger Tedd Firth, Ms. Roberts has herself a 15-song gem of a CD." ~Dan Singer - Singer's Singers - InTune International UK
"Hearing this CD for the first time, one might feel a strong sense of regret that the discovery of Jennifer Roberts hadn't happened sooner, so deep is the dive into places most easily likened to a musical Great Barrier Reef. Jennifer Roberts is special, and that's putting it in simplest, most relatable verbiage." ~ Stephen Mosher - Broadway World
"I actually listened to Jennifer Roberts for the first time on this CD. Such a Great Album!!! Jennifer's voice and vocal style are so cute, fascinating and intimate." ~ Takao Morimoto - Kanagawa, Japan
"It’s to Roberts' credit that she fills the CD to capacity with her own vocals plus two instruments. Firth, who’s nothing less than a genius of the piano, applied intelligent choices with inspired creative ideas to provide the singer with superb harmonic support. His work on the keys ably captured the mood of each number parallel to Robert’s vocalizations." ~ Marilyn Lester - Theater Pizzazz
"A double bass, a piano, a voice, nothing more is needed to establish magic." ~ Thierry Docmac - Bayou Blue Radio - Paris Move
"The musical train ride home completes a superbly produced CD." ~ Dan Singer - Singer's Singers - InTune International UK "The album is a bright collection of standards, offered in a beautifully clear and sweet soprano." ~ Marilyn Lester - Theater Pizzazz
"...and together Roberts and Firth present a partnership that one hopes will last a long time, one of eloquence and sophistication, equal parts flirty, intellectual, theatrical and vulnerable. The twosome communicates with one another in a manner so trusting that there remains no barrier between their artistry and an audience who bought a ticket to the show- everyone here is a friend, with the mutual benefit of supreme musical storytelling...." ~ Stephen Mosher - Broadway World
" Experience always wins out, talent alone never being enough. Jennifer Roberts has a passel of both as amply demonstrated here." ~ C. Michael Bailey - Five Artists: Notable and Nearly Missed - for All About Jazz
"I have just been introduced to the voice of Jennifer Roberts and let me say, I was immediately swept in by it. Her vocals are powerful, soothing, and most of all, delightful to listen to. Jennifer can sing a variety of genres. Her album, An Evening with Jennifer Roberts, based upon the cabaret show of the same name, is what enticed me." ~ Adam Rothenberg - Call Me Adam/Call Answered NYC
"a record album so thoroughly enjoyed from the jauntily perfect opening number outlining the life of an actor to the hauntingly life-affirming closing number that leaves the listener longing and looking forward to the next time they will hear Jennifer Roberts sing, be it on a recording or in a club." ~ Stephen Mosher - Broadway World .
“People Get Ready” ended a splendid collection of music. Sung as an amalgam of spiritual and ballad, Robert’s interpretation demonstrates why this much-covered song has taken a special place in the history of the American songbook." ~ Marilyn Lester - Theater Pizzazz
"With pleasant surprise Roberts exercises her country chops on "Home," Firth's piano approaching Floyd Cramer by way of Richard Rodgers." ~ C. Michael Bailey - All About Jazz
"Jennifer Roberts has an engaging voice, and her musicianship is excellent." ~ Alix Cohen - Cabaret Scenes NYC
"there are always some titles that stand out, such as the title "Home", which is a perfect example of this vocal work that only The Americans master, and a finale in beauty with the famous "People Get Ready" by Curtis Mayfield. It doesn't take more to stay in love with this great album that we will also classify as "Indispensable." ~ Thierry Docmac - Bayou Blue Radio - Paris Move
"Particular standouts are a complete three-act performance surprisingly made out of an old chestnut "Mean to Me' and the rarely recorded, unexpectedly touching, liltingly lovely "You there in the Back Row." This CD, is, in fact, one of the nicest surprises this writer has come across in quite some time" ~ Stephen Mosher - Broadway World "
Roberts and Firth have created a wonderful musical world that keeps you involved for the full one-hour program." ~ Joe Lang - Jersey Jazz
"Nobody’s Heart” (Rodgers/Hart) is from 1924’s Broadway show “By Jupiter”. Jennifer sings this song slow and dramatically preserving all the sadness she can muster. “I Walk A Little Faster” and “On The Other Side Of The Tracks” (Leigh/Coleman) are both what I would call a pair of typical New York songs. They truly represent this town of mine. Ms. Roberts is super de-luxe dramatic on the first song and toe tapping solid on the second song. “I Didn’t Know About You” (Russell/Ellington) certainly as expected is overwhelmingly romantic. “Mean To Me” (Turk/Ahlert) composed in 1925 has a fine vocal lilt. Jennifer is most dynamic when it comes to these real oldies." Dan Singer - Singer's Singers - InTune International UK
"Not only are Jennifer Roberts' vocal artistry and emotional connection on a par with Streisand or LaMott's individual gifts, but Roberts' recording/mixing producer Sean Swinney has achieved outstanding feats of excellence through his work, and musical director/arranger Tedd Firth is accomplishing works worthy of mentioning Streisand's early colleague Peter Matz." ~ Stephen Mosher - Broadway World
"In “Nobody’s Heart” (Richard Rodgers/Lorenz Hart) Tedd Firth’s piano is as palpably sensitive as Roberts’ vocal: unfussy, nuanced, sorrowful. Hope follows in the form of “I Walk a Little Faster” (Carolyn Leigh/Cy Coleman), a pensive admission rhythmically in opposition to its title. The performer imbues this with what seems to be signature sweetness and sincerity. Later, “You There in the Back Row” (Barbara Fried/Coleman) exhibits the same qualities with octaves arching like rainbows. Sheldon Harnick’s “The Ballad of the Shape of Things” is a contemporary madrigal. Firth’s piano winks while Roberts’ vocal wisely plays it straight. Nifty." ~ Alix Cohen - Cabaret Scenes NYC
"This CD, An Evening with Jennifer Roberts, could easily be mistaken for an album made in the heyday of vocalist records when the Great American Songbook and Broadway informed the music industry....except for the presence of two very obvious standouts by pop singer Karla Bonoff and soul music creator Curtis Mayfield, songs that make it patently obvious that Roberts' next CD needs to be nothing but modern music. Let there be no mistake: every song on this CD is a moment of musical satisfaction." ~ Stephen Mosher - Broadway World
BOB LEVY "WHILE I'M STILL HERE" CD -
"On the album’s title cut, Jennifer Roberts (who is heard on several tracks) sings “I want to take life in the fullest way/there is so much more/it’s never too late before I go.” It is beautifully sung with poignancy and deft phrasing, and it brings this gem to a peak of unrequited longing. With Daryl Kojak on piano and Howie Gordon on percussion supporting Roberts’ silvery soprano, the song is a standout. She is also heard on Levy’s “Someone Falls in Love with You,” “Christmas Eve is Here Again,” and “I Won’t Sing a Song About Love.” ~ John Hoglund - Cabaret Scenes Magazine
"The title track came early in Levy’s writing, summing up how he felt about the future. To record it, he reached out to singer-actress Jennifer Roberts, who appears on several of the album’s tracks. Roberts has a classic Broadway-style soprano that’s light and clear. On “While I’m Still Here,” with Daryl Kojak on piano and Howie Gordon on drums, the sweetness in Robert’s vocal underscores why she’s a popular artist with an enviable track record of performance. Other titles vocalized by her are “Someone Falls in Love With You,” “I Won’t Sing a Song About Love” and “Christmas Eve Is Here Again,” all expressed with her flair for incisive interpretation." ~ Marilyn Lester - Theatre Pizazz
"Levy and co. give the listener little one-act plays that distinctly present the person in the story and the tale being told, not surprising when one considers the talented people at the microphone. ....also dips into the talent pool of musical theater actors (Jennifer Roberts and Nicolas King) ... and each of Ms. Roberts' numbers might, well, have been lifted from the last musical play in which she performed. Indeed, in Roberts' gifted hands the title song might be mistaken for a theme song from a Disney movie." ~ Stephen Mosher - Broadway World
"I Won’t Sing a Song About Love’ reminded me of ‘I Can’t Give You Anything But Love, Baby’ and Jennifer Roberts does it full justice, with Doug Hammer on piano. Roberts also performs ‘Christmas Eve is Here Again’ with Daniel May on piano, in what could well be the most positively elevating track on the album. Well, can there be much wrong if the festive season is back with us once more and we can say say farewell to the bad old year now gone?" ~ Musical Theatre Review
Show less