Review: Broadway's Tony Winning Melba Moore Brings FOREVER MOORE to Catalina

On Friday December 9 and Saturday December 10 Chris Isaacson Presents brought us the incomparable R&B recording artist Melba Moore with her CD release party for "Forever Moore" at

Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood. Moore is no stranger to Broadway audiences who remember her Tony-winning portrayal in Purlie and a string of other hits including Hair, Ain't Misbehavin', Les Miserables and Chicago. among many others. Once you have attended one of her live concerts, you are electrified and changed for good. Moore sings passionately from the very depths of her soul. She has been known for her powerful vocal instrument and the uncanny ability to hold final notes for an incredibly long time, and after 50 years in the business, nothing has changed. The petite singer is still beautiful, vibrant, full of sass, and consistently ready to take her fans to new heights of ecstasy.

She opened the 70-minute set with two brand new hits from the CD, "It's My Time Again" and "Let's Dance", not the David Bowie classic, but a brand new song by Angela Pettus. Moore stressed that she has been away from the public eye for a few years and that this solo CD marks her return. Those expecting a string of hits from her Broadway years were in for a surprise, as Moore concentrated on different parts of her musical career without really lingering on the Broadway era. There was a medley of songs from Hair, where in the late 60s she replaced Diane Keaton in the role of Sheila: "Aquarius", "Easy To Be Hard" and "Let the Sunshine In". There followed her dynamic title song from Purlie. Then came one of the finest points of the hour "Stormy Weather" in a salute to her idol Ella Fitzgerald. Moore really gets down and lets her emotion carry her through the pain and turmoil of the lyrics. Here she proved her worth as a great actress, not missing a beat and letting every shred of feeling hang out for all to hear. What she did next is also the mark of a fine singer. Instead of doling out another number with tremendous highs and lows she switched gears and performed Cole Porter's low-key, lovely "I Concentrate On You" honoring her mother's passion for the composer. Before she sang the song, she talked a little about her mother Bonnie Davis who hated the sturm and drang of the music business but loved to sing. She obviously had a great influence on Moore.

Paying tribute to the great R&B composers of the 80s like FrEddie Jackson and Mickey Howard, Moore performed a song written especially for her "Falling" and concluded with one of her hits, Van McCoy's "Lean On Me" which was first recorded by another of Moore's idols Aretha Franklin, whom she referred to as the Queen.

Moore's set was actually a short one, but so rich and full that every split second was a joy. Ladies and gentlemen, God bless Miss Melba Moore. She is a one of a kind, electric and inspirational performer, who keeps the music of the past alive and thriving for future generations. Brava!

(performance photo credit: Tony DiMaio)

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