Pop and Jazz Reviews : Hothouse Cabaret

Ann Hampton Callaway and Craig Carnelia--not exactly household names. In the hothouse world of cabaret and nightclub entertainment, however, both are highly regarded: Callaway for her splendid voice and energetic performance style; Carnelia for the rich, atmospheric qualities of his songs.

Their opening night at the Cinegrill Tuesday had an intimate feel. Carnelia’s set featured his best-known song, “The Picture in the Hall,” as well as “The Kid Inside” from his Broadway musical “Is There Life After High School,” and the deceptively disturbing “Joe” from Studs Terkel’s “Working.”

Carnelia’s low-key but dramatically focused readings had the revelatory perception that only comes when gifted songwriters interpret their own works. Two thoughtful new songs, “Flight” and “Look in My Eyes,” suggested that this talented artist is still on a rising arc of creativity.

Callaway, a more vigorous but no less contemplative performer, enlivened her program with accurate, if whimsically skewed impressions of Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan and a series of humorous pieces. Her finest moments came during warm, intense renderings of “I Gaze in Your Eyes”--with Callaway’s music and Cole Porter’s lyric--and her own beautifully crafted “Perfect.”

Carnelia and Callaway continue at the Cinegrill through Saturday, and return Tuesday through May 23.