Enchanting Kamahl

Press, 22 September 1980, Page 4

Enchanting Kamahl

By

HEATH LEES

• • Kamahl’s one-night stand at. the Town Hall last even- ' ing was strictly without frills. ; Apart from the speakers and ; backing musicians the stage j was unadorned. But for the i dimming of the lights and a . few words, the start would have been unannounced. Except for the pianist, who was , consistently excellent, the backing group was uninspiring; indeed ‘the. rhythm section looked as if they were sitting for portraits.« rather than accompanying a s ihgrir. ? In spite of all this, Kamahl was <a . great success with the audience. “'Two' personal qualities were obviously responsible: one was a huge,

rich voice and the other was a stage personality of warmth and sincerity. <

The songs ranged from sentimental ballads to folk songs and from showbiz standards to spirituals. It was a long show — more than 2$ hours — yet Kamahl was bn for virtually every minute and sang almost continuously. The breaks were provided by some readings. It didn’t really matter what he read: it sufficed simply to bask in the.; gorgeous timbres of a beautifully modulated base voice. One could, not help thinking that if this man had taken up acting . instead of singing ! he /would have‘been a casting director’s dreamas Othello. As it was, he disdained the sound system (and how good it was night!)

for a beautifully projected version of “Lucky Old Sun.”

Of course the world to which Kamahl invites us is a chimera. This kind of entertainment •is a delicious escapism, and the lulling charities of the songs are simplistic and unreal. But the man himself is so full of charm and his voice so satisfying to listen to that the performance becomes a masterpiece of enchantment, f - The audience, some of whom had started the evening as non-believers, were captivated by., the end, and Kamahl rewarded all and sundry with many extra numbers. When we went out of ■theiTbWif 'Pali, it was obvious that Kamahl still had hundreds of decibels of beautiful voice in reserve.