Pop, Jazz Reviews : Champagne Pours on Charm at Cafe Largo

Connie Champagne sang the theme songs from two movies during her Cafe Largo show on Friday: “Valley of the Dolls” and “Eraserhead.” That pretty much locates the cultural focus of the San Francisco-based performer, who brings a hip slant to the traditional cabaret format.

But the press clipping that heralds her as “a cross between Judy Garland and Iggy Pop” is misleading. At the Largo, there was none of the former’s melodrama, nor the latter’s confrontational edge (though there was a Pop composition, his David Bowie collaboration “Shades”).

With her black cocktail dress and short, black hair, Champagne looked like a little girl trying on big sister’s clothes, and when her eyes sparkled she looked like a young Shirley MacLaine. Champagne struck a fine balance between theatricality and naturalness, avoiding the pitfalls of campiness while establishing an unforced intimacy with the audience.

Backed by a loose, sympathetic quartet, Champagne ran through a songbook ranging from the New York Dolls to They Might Be Giants to Al Dubin and Harry Warren’s 1933 tune “Boulevard of Broken Dreams.” As a singer, her most winning trait was a touch of naivete that brought a measure of vulnerability to almost everything she touched.