Mary Wilson has been a very busy lady. Not satisfied to rest on the Supremes past, Wilson’s been working it on television, film, recordings, politics, stage and touring ever since. Wilson is in town for these intimate shows at the Empire Plush Room and also made a welcomed performance at REAF’s ‘Home for the Holidays" AIDS benefit.

Opening with a breathless rendition of "Here’s To Life," Wilson displayed a maturity and intuitiveness required to carry such a touchingly optimistic lyric. The song, which should become her signature tune, set the tone for the entire evening. Wilson loves a ballad, shining on "Spring Is Here" which evolved from rhythm and blues into a swing number. She played to her roots with a beautiful rendition of the Four Tops hit “I Believe in You and Me” and smartly chose material from modern songwriters to showcase her husky, smokey delivery which envelopes the listener, drawing you into each savory lyric:  Billy Joel’s anthem “New York State of Mind,” a smooth and jazzy Nora Jones’ “Don’t Know Why,” and the definitive version of Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now,” never before sounding so touching and wise. A sensational version of “I Am Changing” by the original Dreamgirl herself was the piece de resistance.

Wilson’s show left me satisfied and buoyed. She’s a sparkling performer with a huge amount of verve, soul and energy and her opening lyric says it all — “So here's to life, And every joy it brings, Here's to life, To dreamers and their dreams. May all your storms be weathered, And all that's good get better. Here's to life, Here's to love, And here's to you.”

Steve Murray
Cabaret Scenes
December 4, 2007
www.cabaretscenes.org