(BARBARA DICKSON - CAFE ROYAL
(The Times - 1993)
'PRIZE ENTERTAINMENT FOR SOPHISTICATED FOLK '
An occasional visitor to the Top 40 since 1976, when her calling card was "Answer Me", Barbara Dickson has never quite made sense as a mainstream pop singer. Her voice is simply too well-constructed to sit comfortably with the necessary rhythmic banality, and she has creatively confused matters by her association with various musicals, from "John Paul George Ringo...& Bert", via "Evita" and "Blood Brothers", to "Chess".
On stage or record, she has enjoyed success with such songs from the shows as "I Know Him So Well", "Another Suitcase In Another Hall" and "Easy Terms". She included only the latter two in her opening night programme at the Piccadilly room where she is appearing until December 24.
Though, as she pointed out, the Green Room could hardly be further in ambience from the folk clubs of her early days, it does resemble them in size and audience numbers, and she began with an unaccompanied tilt at Ewan MacColl's "The First Time".
This set a folk, if not folksy tone - her elegant black outfit and increasingly relaxed sophistication being supper-club rather than singers' club - for an hour-plus show. The voice, as true as ever, has gained in strength from her stage work, and has a thrilling, Streisand-like quality in the upper register.
Her choice of contemporary songs, from Paul Simon's "Still Crazy After All These Years", via Randy Newman's "I Think It's Going To Rain Today" and James Taylor's "Millworker" to Leonard Cohen and Jennifer Warnes's "Song Of Bernadette", was nothing if not challenging; while the standards included "I Cover The Waterfront", a beautifully judged "Lush Life" and a rather edgy "Falling In Love Again". The sensitive musical director and pianist was Ian Lynn, and the phenomenal Pete Zorn played guitar, saxophone, clarinet, penny-whistle and flute, switching instruments between songs or between choruses of the same song with apparent ease.
Willy Russell's "Easy Terms", which was, with her own performance, much the best thing about the first West End production of "Blood Brothers", showed off her range to advantage; but perhaps the song which most nearly defines her voice is the plangent "Another Suitcase", from "Evita".
With the film version finally under way, she should be a front-runner to repeat her record role before the cameras. Meanwhile, the chance to hear her sing a personal choice of favourite good songs should not be missed.
(Tony Patrick)
