BWW Reviews: Maureen McGovern's New 54 Below Show Celebrating Her Singer/Songwriter 'Sisters' Is Overstuffed and Over-Seasoned

Emerging as a pop diva in the 1970s, Maureen McGovern has been somewhere on the scene for decades. She still has a powerful, well-honed instrument, sufficient to perform confident acapella. However, It's difficult to tell from her new 54 Below show, Sing, My Sisters, Sing! Celebrating Women Singer/Songwriters, whether the artist's range has vastly diminished or arrangements and rhythms, often unsympathetic to original tunes, are so similar as to make an otherwise diverse selection of songs homogeneous.

One could hardly tell apart "Heart Like a Rose" (Kate & Anna McGarrigle) and "The Rose" (Amanda McBroom); the well-crafted lyrics of Annie Lennox's "A Thousand Beautiful Things" and a single comedy turn "The Babysitter's Here," in which McGovern expressively plays a child, are lost in something close to monotone.

McGovern's program, from poets of the 1800s whose verse was set to music through boomer icons, lists 29 numbers, including an encore. Many of these were necessarily represented by merely a few lines of lyric, which diminished impact. Six Ellie Greenwich choices, for example, went by so quickly one wondered if they were even present.

Though McGovern seemed inspired by her subject, she offered neither historical context nor anecdotes, only dates. Meaning tended to be eschewed in favor of showcasing vocal facility coupled with shrugged shoulders or tossed hair. "God Bless the Child" (Billie Holiday/ Arthur Herzog) was imbued with no compassion, no pain. "Ode to Billy Joe" (Bobbi Gentry) seemed unaware of common knowledge subtext. "At Seventeen" (Janis Ian) was not wistful. Between lyrics, McGovern often seemed to disconnect.

An appealing, low key rendition of Carole King's "So Far Away" prefaced the highpoint of the evening, King's "I Feel the Earth Move" sung in duet with the incomparable Jay Leonhart. The bassist saucily scatted his way through the number as accompanist, vocalist, and mood setter. Grins blossomed across the room.

Next came the eclectic, zoot-suit-dense "Jackie" (Annie Ross/Hampton Hawes) "about a be-bop mouse who was paying her dues but not getting her due," delivered with crisp enunciation and style. Also of this ilk, "A Tisket, A Tasket" (Ella Fitzgerald/Al Feldman/Van Alexander) was deftly swung and infectiously bright. McGovern, who performs a zingy scat herself, has a flair for this period, yet gave us only a taste. The encore, "Come In From the Rain," (Carole Bayer Sager/Melissa Manchester) was lovely and focused.

Musical Director/Pianist- Jeff Harris
Bass/Vocals- Jay Leonhart
54 Below, March 10, 2015
Additional shows March 12,13, 14
http://54below.com/artist/maureen-mcgovern/

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