Il Divo a showcase of sheer talent

Il Divo" is Japanese for "divine wind." No, wait, that's "kamikaze."
Actually, Il Divo is Italian for "divine performer." Male, to be exact. But you would have to be a kamikaze to come between the men of Il Divo and their ardent fans. Four hunks of burning voice lessons floated into Credit Union Centre on Sunday on a cloud of dry ice fog to pay a first-time visit to their predominantly female audience.
The divine roll call: Swiss tenor Urs Buhler, French pop singer Sebastien Izambard, Spanish baritone Carlos Marin and American tenor David Miller.
"We're Saskatoon virgins," quipped Sebastien. "Does that mean it will happen for us tonight?" Urs followed up.
The climax of the first set answered that. The singers forcefully handled Andrew Lloyd Webber's Don't Cry For Me Argentina, giving those odd, meandering verses their full attention and holding nothing back on the oh so familiar chorus.
The world-class lighting and video added drama, not that much was needed. One magical effect made it look like sun-bleached stone shelves had lowered themselves from the ceiling. At one point, the tuxedoed men were in a cityscape. Then, it was a star-strewn galaxy.
Simon Cowell's genius in choosing the quartet was apparent - not just the sheer talent or international flavour but the variety in the group. One immediately identified Sebastien's more nasal style and David's definitive classical sound.
Taken together, the group could put gravitas and beauty into a radio jingle, so whether they were undertaking Dove L'Amoure or I Did it My Way, it seemed special.
After Nikki Yanofsky, the opening act on Sunday, strides off the stage, you can only shake your head and wonder if anyone got the license of the truck that just hit you. The Quebec vocal jazz and blues prodigy used her opening few minutes to pretty much knock you on your butt.
That such a voice should come out of someone so young has been well documented. But you have to feel that youthful exuberance and see that radiant smile to really get it. And you have to hear how she grinds into Etta James' I'd Rather Go Blind and does vocal yo-yos with Sweet Georgia Brown to believe it.