I never saw such a casual, unrehearsed show that I absolutely loved as much as Sally Kellerman’s comfortable show at the dazzling new Rrazz Room. No polish, no scripted patter, no long song intros – no problem. Ms. Kellerman, in her own natural style, buoyed by a phenomenally youthful radiance that belies her 72 years, gave a sexy, sensuous set of blues, swing and ballad in her signature raspy, languid drawl.

Kellerman chooses material that suits her low register like the opening blues number "Do I Wanna Make Love To You," the bawdy "Sugar in My Bowl" and "Feel My Leg" that ooze sex appeal. Throw in some nicely paced ballads ("By Heart," "Having the Time of Your Life" and a lovely "One of Those Things") and a honky tonk ("Blue, Blue Night") and you have a solid, carefree evening’s entertainment. Backed by ace musician/songwriter Chris Caswell, who wrote three songs in the set, Ms. Kellerman is easy to listen to, easy to look at and uncompromisingly laid back. It’ll be interesting to see how this appeal translates to her upcoming CD.

Steve Murray
Cabaret Scenes
July 13, 2008
www.cabaretscenes.org