Making waves faster than a raging tsunami is a new singer in cabaret with a lot of talent named Nicolas King. He has style, a sense of fun and impeccable musical taste. He also has incredible chops. And. if that weren't enough for a new face in the crowd, he's only 18 years old. Cabaret naysayers needn't worry, the torch is in good hands (he was even put on starry opening night of this year's Cabaret Convention.) King has an old soul who likes jazz and likes to swing.

Through the years, cabaret has been the first to shine the light on everyone from Woody Allen, Lily Tomlin, Joan Rivers and Tony Bennett (who started as a singing waiter) to Barbra Streisand. More recently, in the 1980's, it discovered Michael Feinstein and Harry Connick, Jr. at the Oak Room at The Algonquin, who went on to major careers. Michael Buble' got his start in Canada at 16 (singing anywhere.) Jamie Cullum and Diana Kral were already making waves when they bowed at The Algonquin’s Oak Room. There are other stories of beginners who received their first attention in an intimate room. Enter Nicolas King – sure to be the next big noise to come out of the clubs. He will be one of those stories. Judging by the industry crowd present and the over-zealous fans (some of whom were family members,) at this debut show, there hasn't been this much fuss over a debut since Streisand in the Village clubs. And, with legendary jazzer Mike Renzi, who once musically partnered with Peggy Lee, Lena Horne, Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett (for starters,) as musical director/arranger/sage, it looks like this kid's off and running with a bullet to the best of all possible worlds.

But there's a back story that can only help his ascent. King appeared on Broadway for nine months when he was only 8 years old in “Beauty and the Beast” with Andrea McArdle. He went on to appear in other theatrical productions including, “A Thousand Clowns” with Tom Selleck in 2001 and “Hollywood Arms” with Carol Burnett, several television commercials and was tapped by Liza Minnelli to be her opening act when he was only 16. As he belts out jazz, pop and swing tunes with some Broadway numbers thrown in, all with uncanny confidence for his age, it is obvious this kid is carving his own corner of the sky.

As one listened to him on jazz/swing versions of tunes from The Andrew Sisters' like “Bounce Me With A Solid Four” (Bradley) to the deceptively demanding Ella Fitzgerald ditty “Mr. Paganini,” at ease and in perfect pitch, with a voice that only gains in substance, it's obvious King is no rank amateur. He seems the personification of all that so many other young, artists attain to be. When he appeared in his one night only debut recently at Metropolitan Room at Gotham, often drawing out notes with unerring smoothness and perfection as he harmonized in perfect symmetry with Renzi and his trio, it was easy to imagine the heights this new kid on the block could reach with careful guidance and proper management.

But solid vocals are only part of the picture. He has a strong presence. And, he delivers the goods full throttle with a natural sense of showmanship. His phrasing shines best on the swinging upbeat songs and he has an affable personality to boot. Ultimately, he possesses old fashioned star power. And that can't be bought. In spite of the aforementioned, comparisons to others are not really fair at this stage. Both Connick and Feinstein were older when they made their splash at The Algonquin. Too, they did not have the theatrical flair that King has an abundance of. Both were quite restrained at that point. For King, his penchant for theatrical pizzazz in an intimate setting is impressive but might need to be toned down on softer moments in a small setting. However, he remains an assured vocalist who can bring a song wherever he wants to. And, he knows how to have fun with his audience; something that belies his age. This was particularly in evidence on a rousing pop medley that included Jamie Cullem's "I Wanna Be A Pop Star" and a personalized reading of the Frankie Valli/Four Season's' hit, "Can't Take My Eyes Off You." He displayed yet another side when he sat at the piano and accompanied himself on a warm arrangement of "A Quiet Thing" (Kander-Ebb.)

While he hasn't yet developed a signature "sound" which is possibly to his advantage at this stage, many influences are evident, For instance, singing a brilliantly arranged, muted version of “Where Is Love” from “Oliver” in medley with a melancholic “Blame It On My Youth” is not an original idea. Yet, King made the medley his own. He also created a rafter-raising moment that was a highlight when he told of watching the Beast sing of his love of Belle. Then, he segued into “If I Can't Love Her.” In doing so, he let loose and totally opened up vocally and literally stopped his show with a standing ovation on this grand anthem that more mature singers would shy away from. It is this diverse quality that will take him to the next level of recognition. He's not afraid to take chances.

Because he's only 18 and because he's had enviable show business experience, there are some minor constrictive suggestions. The influence of Minnelli is apparent. Sometimes, too apparent. While this can surely be a great thing, it runs the risk of possibly working against a rising new talent who will need his own strong identity to make his personalized mark and intimately connect with audiences and critics (who may initially look to fault him.) This will fix itself as he learns to concentrate less on the externals and let the internals take over as he digs deeper on the trenchant ballads. Like others, in the early stages, he occasionally overstates a phrase (which is commonplace for stage performers.) There is an emotional core to his interpretations, he only needs to trust it even more.

Not enough can be said of the exceptional contributions of Mike Renzi's musical genius and those flawless jazz arrangements. With brilliant bassist David Finke and the colorful Vinny Pagano on drums, the hour was as musically superior and entertaining as one could hope for making this the most auspicious debut of the year. For now, the kid with a dream is off and running and, as one of his closing songs by Frank Loesser says, he's “Lucky To Be Me.”

Nicolas King returns to Metropolitan Room on December 17. Catch him while he's still affordable.