Last night I went to the Luxor for the release of Fantasy's annual calendar. The party took place at the Restore Pool. I had thought it was one of the new topless pools, because those seem the kind of casino pool to require a name. But I was wrong; Restore is covered, though you must be 18 to get inside. In addition to the showgirls from Fantasy, the calendar features Stephanie Jordan (for February 2008) , the singer who sports showgirl looks but stays covered during the show. Jordan is a fantastic singer and my favorite part of the show. So I asked to interview her about the calendar experience. But it turned out the night was special to her for another reason. "We just finished the CD for this show, and it has five original songs that are all my vocals. It is available tonight." So, in addition to the calendar, The Fantasy soundtrack was also becoming available as a souvenir. The party was in essence an album release party, too.
To simply call her the singer understates her performance in Fantasy, which involves handling audience interaction, emcee duties, etc. But it is the sheer power of her voice that makes your draw drop. And her voice is what you remember long after the specifics of Fantasy get hazy. There are a lot of similarities among the topless shows on the Strip. But only Fantasy has Jordan. Jordan, 39, is a Vegas native, and so grew up with dreams of appearing on the Strip, albeit one on which the Luxor had yet to exist. "I've been a dancer and singer my whole life."
Drinking from a hip flask, Jordan confesses, "Tonight is my 111th show without a day off. But I only work one and a half hours a night." So while she tries to do original sets once a month at the House of Blues with her brother, she finds that some months she just doesn't have time. "I'd like to do one in September. At this point, I just don't know the schedule.This is Vegas; you don't starve for your art, you work."
So if you see Stephanie Jordan's name on an HOB schedule be sure to go.