Jazz Reviews : Karen Akers Interprets Unfamiliar Songs

Karen Akers has always insisted upon singing a program of songs chosen for their aesthetic rather than their commercial values, and her opening-night program at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel’s Cinegrill on Wednesday was no exception.

The New York-based cabaret singer acknowledged her set’s somewhat esoteric qualities by remarking, halfway through, that she probably hadn’t yet sung anything that was familiar to her audience.

But good material stands on its own, whether it’s familiar or not, and Akers unquestionably has an ear for the kind of pieces that keep cabaret music alive and well.

“In a Very Unusual Way” (from the musical “Nine”), “Music of the Night” (from “Phantom of the Opera”) and “I Dreamed a Dream” (from “Les Miserables”) are songs with a richness that can transcend their origins in stage musicals. In Akers’ hands they became small, passionate stories, sung with a probing intensity that uncovered lodes of feeling not apparent in the original performances.

Akers’ foreign-language songs, always a staple in her performances, were better than ever. Her remarkable version of Edith Piaf’s “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien” once again called up a vivid image of the little French sparrow, but she was equally impressive in a German-language reading of “Falling in Love Again” that simmered with Dietrichesque sensuality.

The program’s sole concession to lightheartedness (“The only funny song I’m doing these days,” the singer remarked) was a delightfully satiric rendering of the yuppie love song “The Shelf Life of Love.”

Akers was less impressive with songs--”What About Today” and “20th Century Blues” were typical--requiring more up-front belting and less down-deep feeling. Both readings suggested that she responds best to material which demands a more subtle expression of her skills.

The well-crafted musical program was strongly aided by pianist-conductor Michael Abene’s understated arrangements and the versatile playing of Phil Feather on woodwinds and Ken Wild on bass.

Akers continues at the Cinegrill through Saturday and returns Wednesday through Saturday of next week.