Reviews
Karan Chavis
Karan Chavis, vocals; D.A.
McDowell, keyboards.
Frank's Bar and Grill,
Saturday, Nov. 19
★★★Vi
Karan Chavis, a local jazz
vocalist, possesses one of
the finest voices around. Her
performance at Frank’s Bar
and Grill spotlighted her
hypnotic vocals.
Chavis’ song list includes
Broadway favorites, old jazz
standards and even a few
pop songs, including a
version of the Beatles’
“Yesterday” (which seems
to be a favorite of jazz
singers who do covers). .
D.A. McDowell, who
performs with his cabaret-
oriented group, Texas Party,
played keyboards at
Saturday night’s show and
his trusty percussion
machine, “Ringo,” provided
the beat. McDowell showed
a fine jazz piano talents,
performing a solo
instrumental number during
the evening’s performance.
The spotlight for the
show, however, was on
Chavis, who was
spectacular. Seated upon a
stool in front of McDowell’s
keyboard, she sang each
song with an emotion that
seemed to reach out to all
comers of the
restaurant/club. Chavis best
demonstrated her vocal
range on her version of the
popular Frank Sinatra hit,
“The Lady is a Tramp. ”
Here, her voice soared in
tone at the song’s
conclusion, never once
breaking.
As for her rendition of “As
Time Goes By” (from the
film Casablanca), Chavis’
version is one even Bogart’s
Rick Blaine would have
loved. Other highlights of
the show included “Paper
Moon,” “Do You Know
What It Means to Miss New
Orleans?” and the classic
“Georgia.”Chavisalsr "mo
a beautiful version of
“Sentimental Journey. ” In
fact, with her repertoire of
songs from years past, a
Karan Chavis performance
is itself a sentimental journey
of sorts.
Chavis will surely be
performing frequently in the
local area, and her show is
highly recommended to
those who want to see one
of the best singers in town.
Review by Shane Hall
Rating Key
*★***—A classic. Not to be missed.
**■*★— Excellent.
*★★— Some flaws, but good overall.
★★—Fair,
★ --El stinko.
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"Green"
R.E.M.
Warner Brothers Records
★★★Vi
With Green, R.E.M.’s
newest album, the band
does nothing particularly
new, but sticks to what has
worked in the past, resulting
in a fine album.
During the past few years,
the Athens, Ga. quartet’s
sound has evolved from
jangly new wave folk to a
hard-edged rock sound.
This change began with the
group’s 1985 album, Fables
of the Reconstruction and
developed further on Life’s
lich Pageant and last year’s
Document
Green continues that
direction, although
occasionally the band dips
into its folk-rock past.
Guitarist Peter Buck strums
acoustic guitar and
mandolin on three tracks,
“You Are the Everything,”
“The Wrong Child” and
“Hairshirt,” all acoustic
songs where Buck’s
accompaniment is the
backdrop to vocalist Michael
Stipe’s musings.
Another change in
R.E.M.’s sound during the
past three years is the
development of Stipe’s
vocals. On the band’s
earliest recordings, it was
virtually impossible to
decipher what he was
saying. Here, his vocals are
at their clearest. You can
make out every word, but
the meaning behind the
lyrics is still open to debate.
The lyrics to one song,
“World Leader Pretend, ”
are printed on the inner
sleeve of the record. “I
raised the wall and I will be
the one to knock it down,”
"Crossing Delancey"
Starring Amy Irving
Directed by Joan Micklin
Silver
Rated PG
★★★V2
“Crossing Delancey, ” a
light, romantic comedy that
is a pleasant and enjoyable
movie-going experience,
provides both laughs and
serious moments.
Amy Irving plays Isabella
(Izzy) Goldman, a New York
bookstore clerk. Izzy is 33,
single and content to be so.
Her grandmother, Bubbie,
however, fails to understand
how anyone can be happy
unmarried. So she enlists
the help of a matchmaker to
find some eligible men for
Izzy to meet. The meddling
twosome set up a meeting
between Izzy and Sam
Posner (Pp +o r Riegert), who
owns a Kosher pickle store.
Izzy, however, is more
interested in Anton Maes, a
Dutch writer she met at a
bookstore T inction to
promote hi; new novel.
The interesting part of
“Crossing Delancey” is the
conflict between old and
new values. Amy Irving
shines as Izzy, a woman who
is trying to break away from
the “old” ways and live as a
modem woman. She lives in
uptown Manhattan and
moves within the city’s
literary circles to escape the
Lower East Side
neighborhood she grew up
in. Izzy’s modem lifestyle
contrasts with the traditional
Jewish life Bubbie lives.
Sam’s entrance into Izzy’s
life, however, begins to
confuse things for her.
Stipe sings, in what seems to
allude to withdrawal and a
feeling of isolation. “World
Leader Pretend” is one of
the album’s best tracks.
Other great songs on
Green include “Pop Song
89” and the record’s first
single, “Orange Crush.”
Both are good examples of
the band’s current guitar-
heavy rock sound and
sound like they could have
been included on
Document.
However, this album also
includes “Turn Your Inside
Out, ” a track with slow,
plodding guitar riffs. With
“Turn Your Inside Out,”
R.E.M. have done their first
truly dreadful song.
With the exception of this
song, however, Green is a
respectable effort, although
certainly not their best. It is
better than Fables but does
not touch Reckoning, the
band’s best album to date.
But Green is sure to
continue the success R.E.M.
has found in recent years.
Review by Shane Hall
Peter Riegert manages to
give interest to the simple
fellow Sam is, turning in a
fine performance. Reizi
Bozyk is charming and
hilarious as Bubbie, the
grandmother who wants her
granddaughter to find a
husband.
Joan Micklin Silver directs
the film from a script by
Susan Sandler and creating
a story full of believable
characters in real situations.
“Crossing Delancey,” a
delightfully entertaining
movie, can be thought of as
1988’s equivalent of
“Moonstruck. ” Perhaps this
film will earn some Oscar
nominations just as
“Moonstruck” did.
Review by Shane Hall
Page 4/At Ease/Thursday, Dec. 1,1988