Steve Dorff
The Cabaret at Germano’s, Baltimore, MD, February 11, 2018
Reviewed by Michael Miyazaki for Cabaret Scenes
Steve Dorff, newly inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, presented a parade of his multi-million-selling hits as well as insights from a career in songwriting in an intimate evening at Germano’s.
A charming, self-effacing raconteur, Dorff opened the evening with a list of the four “T”s he felt were critical for a songwriter: Talent, Tenacity, Timing, and being Too Dumb to find another profession. A recurring theme of the show was the arduous paths songs often take before they become hits. For example, “I Just Fall in Love Again” was recorded by Karen Carpenter and Dusty Springfield before Anne Murray had an unexpected hit with it; “I Cross My Heart” was originally written for Boyz II Men, then was recorded but unreleased by Bette Midler, before becoming a mega-hit for George Strait.
Dorff performs in a style common to many songwriters—piano and vocals that present the material pleasantly, but suggest further possibilities.
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Similarly, he writes in a clean, professional, pop-chameleon style that makes it easier to identify the author in retrospect rather than on first hearing.
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However, it is easy to identify the impact his work has had on the public at large. It was clear from the reaction of the crowd that the songs presented during the evening—“Through the Years,” “Baby Let’s Lay Down and Dance,” “My Heart Will Never Know,” or “(The Theme from) Growing Pains”—all had personal resonance for members of the audience. Dorff said that one frustration of being a songwriter is “we’re not the face of our songs.
” Hopefully, the evening at Germano’s gave him the satisfaction of feeling the effect that his songs have had (and continue to have) on audiences.
