Ann Hampton Callaway has honey in her voice.

Whether singing a ballad, an up-tempo number or just scatting, her sound is smooth and languid and sweet and enticing. She is a singer’s singer, with perfect breath control, perfect pitch and perfect talent.

Callaway has a wide, powerful vocal range, whether jazzing it up on George Shearing’s “Lullaby of Birdland,” opening her voice to thrilling effect on “At Last” (Mack Gordon/Harry Warren) or pursuing the samba-like beat of one of her own compositions, “Finding Beauty.”

Listening to her sing was sometimes like listening in on someone’s most private thoughts — as in a sublime “Lazy Afternoon” (John Latouche/Jerome Moross) or “On My Way to You” (Michel Legrand/Alan and Marilyn Bergman) — so moody and introspective and rapturous was the music coming out of her.

Completely relaxed on stage and possessing an easy rapport with her audience, Callaway was backed by a trio of pros: Reggie Thomas on piano, Brian Miller on drums and Trey Henry on bass. Henry deserves some extra kudos for his excellent bow work on “Over the Rainbow” (Harold Arlen/Yip Harburg) — a song Callaway made her own, starting out a capella and building to a strong middle and a full-throated finish.

She engaged in a scatting duet with guest artist Sacha Boutrous, who joined Callaway for a rousing “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love”(Jimmy McHugh/Dorothy Fields) — and though the song was in Boutrous’ key, Callaway nevertheless demonstrated a superior talent.

For her encore, she brought audience member Florence Henderson on stage to ask her how she defines love — “the ability to hold one another up,” the former Brady Bunch mom said — and then Callaway built what seemed to be an on-the-spot song around that theme.

By the time Callaway’s set was finished, any audience members less ardent before she began singing had been seduced into becoming true believers.

Elliot Zwiebach
Cabaret Scenes
May 14, 2009
www.cabaretscenes.org