Dionne Warwick has made her return to AustraliaCredit:Christopher Pearce
Given she is 77,time has coarsened the feathery tone that graced the classic ’60s singles written for her by Hal David and Burt Bacharach. You could no longer describe Warwick’s voice the way Bacharach did,as carrying “all the delicacy and mystery of sailing ships in bottles”.
In its place there’s a knowingness that transforms some of these very familiar songs.Alfie was stunning,like the loveliest philosophy lecture you ever heard,Warwick silencing the crowd with her obvious belief in its every word.
Her deeper-voiced,world-weary readings also made more poignant the yearning for absent lovers inMessage to Michael and99 Miles from LA.
Warwick kept the lighter-weight stuff more interesting with frequent melodic change-ups and ad libs. She even scatted onThis Girl’s in Love With You and proved she could still hit those ’60s high notes,if sparingly,onI’ll Never Fall in Love Again.
Dressed comfortably in slippers,Warwick reminded audiences why she is one of the greatest vocalists of our time.Credit:Christopher Pearce
There were some complete musical rearrangements,too. Aretha Franklin’s famous version ofI Say a Little Prayer has overshadowed Warwick’s original take but she made a claim back for it with a sparkling,modern R&B version in duet with eldest son and drummer in her band,David Elliott.