When the intent of a song stirs you without flounces and frippery, you have something special. You'll have that special something in Sandy Stewart and Bill Charlap's new show, Somebody Loves Me. The drama is controlled and what rings through, clear, strong and lovely, is truth. Stewart's son, pianist extraordinaire, Bill Charlap, meticulously heightens the jazz underpinning of the music and together they make a confident, polished team.

Without any patter at all, thirteen songs unravel a litany of wisdom about love. The music is a road trip through romance—the discovery, the equivocation, the anxiety, the resignation of loss, the coming to terms. With her slightly husky alto, warm vibrato, and sharp phrasing, Sandy Stewart distinctly communicates a wealth of lessons learned. With Charlap, the two display the expertise of what they are doing and together, they display a sensitivity to their songs and to each other. His notes sustain hers and their eyes often lock as he punctuates her vocals.

Like most of their shows, Somebody Loves Me highlights lyrics of intelligence and poetic emotion, songs that stir memories and paint moods, drawing you into their gorgeous interpretations, like Vernon Duke's "Autumn in New York" and Irving Berlin's heartbreaker, "Say It Isn't So." The pace goes from thoughtful balladry to a bit of light swing in the "'S Wonderful" and "Who Cares?" (George and Ira Gershwin). Outstanding also is their graceful musing of the Gershwins’ "Isn't It a Pity?"

Charlap's mid-show solo interlude is a lesson in jazz versatility, interpreting a medley of standards. These are two artists who have discovered the depth of some wonderful songs. They end the show in the same reflective mood, “collecting precious memories, selecting souvenirs” in Bricusse/Mancini's "Two for the Road."

Elizabeth Ahlfors
Cabaret Scenes
January 5, 2009
www.cabaretscenes.org