"What's a little Italian chick from New Jersey doing singing Motown?"

Motown—every '60s kid learned the stylized choreography and every baby-boomer remembers it. Even as a child, Jackie Fornatale, a little Italian chick with a big voice, gravitated toward Martha and the Vandellas and The Supremes instead of mainstream '60s hits like, "Somethin' Stupid" or "Born Free." Motown was earthier, more spirited, based on African-American soul and gospel influences with a distinctive beat, tambourines, and call and response. This was the first African-American song genre that drew wide audiences.Pretty and dark-haired with a Susan Lucci radiance in her smile, Jackie Fornatale bounced up to the stage at Don't Tell Mama, got the audience clapping, and never paused in her salute to all those tunes from Detroit. There is no doubt that she likes this music—she really likes it!—and proved it with generous sequence of 30 songs. Fornatale is a confident belter with a secure vocal tone and she delivered the sound with poise, enthusiasm and a quick laugh. She inserted some cute bits of Motown trivia: Did you know that Martha and the Vandellas took their name from "Van" in Detroit's Van Dyke Street merged with "Della" from Della Reese? She urged listeners to familiarize themselves with a lesser-known performer of the era, Kim Weston. Weston eased herself out of the Motown scene but Fornatale gave her a nod with "Just Loving You," written by Weston's husband Mickey Stevenson with John Allen. A four-piece band led by musical director/pianist, Gerry Dieffenbach provided support with bassist Matt Lindsey, drummer Eddy Zweiback, and her brother, Mike Fornatale, on guitar and vocals. Adding Liz Lark Brown's vocal backup, it was a tight harmonious delivery.

While the show was energetic and fun, many tunes were grouped in medleys, which gets tiresome even for Motown. While the Motown flavor was all there, Fornatale did not bring her own interpretations to the songs. The one exception was delivering "Heatwave" "(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave” as a sultry ballad. A new take on a selection is always welcome but this song lacks the depth to evoke the intended emotion.

Jackie Fornatale is an engaging performer and hopefully she will show off her talents in a more diversified program.

Elizabeth Ahlfors
Cabaret Scenes
Janaury 10, 2010
www.cabaretscenes.org