Dear editor, If I were to write a one-word review of Gale Mead’s benefit concert at Copia Thursday night, it would be, “Wow!”

Mead brought the house down with the full range of her eclectic, vibrant and passionate voice. At one moment, tender; the next, full of power and guts, Mead sang softly of love, then belted out songs that would have made Grace Slick proud.

Another wonderful aspect of the concert was the songs written by Mead herself, who is intent on being more than just entertaining. She inspired us to ponder our troubled world in her haunting “Streets of New Orleans” and the bittersweet “Letters Home,” about the war in Iraq. Mead’s selections ran the gamut from “White Rabbit” to “Turtle Blues,” through “Blue Skies” to “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” and she was so on the money that the audience wouldn’t let her leave the stage.

A Napa native, Mead did the concert as a benefit for the Land Trust of Napa County, a cause near and dear to her heart. She is a woman who acts on what she believes is right and important, as evidenced by this concert. How lucky we are to have this amazing woman in our town. If you want to find out more about Gale, you can go to her Web site. I guarantee that her versatility extends far beyond her singing range. Be prepared to be wowed.

Davina Rubin / Napa