Melissa Manchester

Melissa Manchester

Feinstein’s at the Nikko, San Francisco, CA, July 10, 2015

Reviewed by Steve Murray for Cabaret Scenes

Four decades into her musical career, Melissa Manchester is taking the moment to take a snapshot of where she is now, and an introspective look at where she came from. The Grammy Award winner (Best Pop Female Vocal Performance 1983 for “You Should Hear How She Talks About You”) has charted a very successful path, writing songs for Roberta Flack, Dusty Springfield, Alison Krauss, Stevie Nicks, Kenny Loggins and Barbra Streisand.

Mixing it up with the old and the new, Manchester displayed her strong songwriting skills matched with a strong, vibrant contralto. “Midnight Blue” and “Come In from the Rain,” two songs co-written with Carole Bayer Sager, are perfect examples of Manchester’s wide appeal. “Midnight Blue” was a huge chart topper for the singer, used as source music in the movie Ice Castles, and later covered by pop royalty stars like Johnny Mathis, Shirley Bassey and Vanessa Williams. Likewise, “Come In from the Rain” was covered by Diana Ross and The Captain & Tennille, among others. Manchester continued to stand out among the singer/songwriters of her generation, scoring huge with her Grammy-nominated version of Peter Allen/Carole Bayer Sager’s “Don’t Cry Out Loud,” performed this evening in the original simple acoustic version. “Whenever I Call You Friend,” co-written with Kenny Loggins, was yet another huge hit, again tonight performed with the original songwriters’ intent.

“Feeling for You,” a new song from her latest CD You Gotta Love the Life, written with Sara Niemietz, is a bluesy funk number, and a pairing of Irving Berlin’s “Let’s Face the Music and Dance” with Cole Porter’s “From This Moment On” was smart and sophisticated. Also from the new CD, “The Other One” speaks to personal responsibility and choice. After four decades in the business, this song exemplifies where Manchester is spiritually—satisfied, certain and confident in her skills and capabilities.

Tags: Alison Krauss, American Songbook, Barbra Streisand, Broadway Musicals, Cabaret, Cabaret Reviews, Cabaret Scenes, Captain and Tennille, Carole Bayer Sager, Clubs, Cole Porter, Come In from the Rain, Composers, Diana Ross, Don’t Cry Out Loud, Dusty Springfield, Feeling for You, Feinstein's at the Nikko, From This Moment On, Grammy Award, Great American Songbook, Ice Castles, Irving Berlin, Jazz, Johnny Mathis, Kenny Loggins, Let’s Face the Music and Dance, lyricists, Melissa Manchester, Midnight Blue, Musicals, Nightclubs, Peter Allen, Popular Song, Randee St. Nicholas, Revues, Roberta Flack, San Francisco, Sara Niemietz, Shirley Bassey, Show Tunes, Singers, Songbook, Standards, Steve Murray, Stevie Nicks, Supper Clubs, The Other One, Vanessa Williams, Venues, Vocalists, Whenever I Call You Friend, you gotta love the life, You Should Hear How She Talks About You

Category: Cabaret Reviews, Regional, San Francisco, San Francisco Cabaret Reviews