McBROOM SWEEPS THROUGH ROOSEVELT

An “E coupon ride at the Disneyland of the ears” was the promise offered by Amanda McBroom on Thursday night. Elegant in white satin, the composer of Bette Midler’s 1979 hit “The Rose” was a perfect choice for the formal opening of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel’s Cinegrill. And optimistic as her promise may have sounded, she delivered on all counts.

Touching everything from Chicago blues and early rock ‘n’ roll to Sondheim songs and her own moody ballads, McBroom tempered her musical sophistication with a delightfully whimsical sense of humor.

Surprisingly, given her coolly polished image, McBroom’s best performances were on the humorous set pieces: Sondheim’s “The Madam Song,” about a lady who will do anything once--but not twice; “Reynosa,” an original about growing up in a Texas border town; and another original, “The Ledger,” a deceptively romantic song with a twist ending.

McBroom’s more serious originals were less appealing, probably because her gift for beautifully crafted lyrics isn’t matched by a comparable gift for melody.

“The Rose,” of course, is by now a classic of the aching-heart genre, and McBroom performed it with an appropriately passionate buildup. But her new “Dreamin’ ” both tells and reveals more.

Her finest moment came on Hoagy Carmichael’s gorgeous, and too-rarely performed “Baltimore Oriole.” McBroom’s understanding interpretation of this song, more than anything else, announced the arrival of a mature talent. She closes tonight.