Musing from Alex Rybeck: Dionne Warwick at B.B. King's

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Dionne's concert was pure pleasure. She looked beautiful in a flowing outfit of pale blue chiffon, and vocally she recaptured more of her light soprano sound than she's mustered in quite a while.

The song set was the same as she's been doing for the past few years, but she still managed to invest her material with genuine feeling, musicality, and spontaneity. Her elder son David Elliot duetted "I Say a Little Prayer" with her early in the show, then stayed to solo on "Besame Mucho". While he sang his heart out, Dionne beamed from the sidelines. At the end of the concert, David returned with his daughter Cheyenne (who must be 15 or 16 years old by now?), and they joined Dionne in "That's What Friends Are For", with lovely vocal harmonies. A highlight of the concert was "Alfie" -- miraculously, Dionne is still exploring this timeless song, finding new values in the lyrics and phrasing. Throughout the evening, she seemed very relaxed and poised, exhibiting her usual regal grace and casual elegance. The room was packed and fully appreciative. It appeared that Dionne was enjoying the show as much as the audience. A really satisfying evening all around, made even better by sharing it with a table of friends, two of whom had never seen Dionne "live" before.

-- Alex Rybeck

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