Pop Music Review : Gary Morris’ Vocals Sparkle in Holiday Show

“We’re doing this show all over the country, but not like we’ve done so far here tonight,” Gary Morris remarked during his Christmas show at the Crazy Horse Steak House on Monday night. It was, indeed, a most atypical show for Morris. He usually is one of the most in-control performers in country music, with his exactingly directed shows mirroring his remarkable vocal control.

Though it is on the country charts that he’s placed his hits, Morris’ commanding voice owes more to musical theater (he’s starred in Broadway productions of “Les Miserables” and “La Boheme”), in both the nuance and bluster of the medium.

In most Morris performances it would have taken a tidal wave to upstage him, but Monday he freely abdicated his place in the spotlight, letting band members, the audience and his 15-year-old son, Matt, take the lead for much of the show.

At one point, keyboardist Chuck Glass answered an audience request that Morris didn’t know with an impromptu rendition of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” which prompted Morris to shout, “It’s my show!” in a mock wounded voice.

Morris, who was scheduled to play again Tuesday night, explained they had been playing only large theaters on their Christmas tour, and they clearly appreciated the intimate club gig as an opportunity to cut up and relax a bit.

The boon of the lighter approach was a show that was more spontaneous and celebratory. The downside was that several Christmas songs that would seem splendidly suited for Morris’ remarkable tenor never got the benefit of it.

That’s a minor quibble, since he and his cohorts did a generous 22-song performance, which left ample room for his voice to do its stuff, while also showcasing the not-inconsiderable talents of his five-piece band and son.

The show opened with a couple of a cappella numbers, including a richly harmonized “Do You Hear What I Hear?” followed by a bluesy “Go Tell It on the Mountain.”

It wasn’t quite an unplugged performance, but the instrumentation remained subdued throughout the show, with Morris and Jeff Rea on acoustic guitar, Brad Smith on congas and hand percussion, C.J. Cowell on bass, John MacLeroy on electric guitar and Glass on keyboards. The sole sonic lapse was Glass’ tendency to favor generic, lifeless synthesizer tones on some songs.

Some selections, including “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” were largely left to the audience to sing, and the Crazy Horse audience proved a tuneful bunch, despite Morris’ loud snoring during “The Christmas Song.”

Morris likes to show a curmudgeonly demeanor onstage, to the degree that it’s difficult to know if his gruff repartee is just for show, an expression of genuine ire or a combination. Despite the holiday mood, he managed to gripe repeatedly about the stage lighting.

When percussionist Smith was clowning between songs, Morris threatened, “Brad, I think Lee Greenwood’s gonna love it when you’re on the road with him. You’ll get to do ‘God Bless America’ all night.”

His asides aside, when Morris does a holiday show, he does it all the way. His sole concession to his hit-filled career was a solo rendition of “The Wind Beneath My Wings.” Otherwise, the evening was packed with Christmas tunes, from the bluegrass gospel number “What Month Was Jesus Born In?” to such usual suspects as “Winter Wonderland,” “Silent Night,” “We Three Kings” and “Joy to the World.”

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During his solo section, Morris also sang “O Holy Night,” making a beautiful vocal showcase of it, though his performance seemed a tad emotionally detached (particularly when compared with some other versions, such as soul singer Jerry Butler’s classic take on the song).

There were no such reservations about his closing encore of “Amazing Grace,” though. Despite being one of the most mangled melodies of all time--frequently the victim of vocal excesses--Morris managed to chart a course through the song that was both fresh and emotionally vital. At such times his voice--sounding like a more powerful, meat-eatin’ Johnny Mathis--truly seems to be a divine gift.

His son Matt clearly has inherited some of that gift. On his several featured songs, particularly “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” he revealed a voice much like his dad’s--pitched deeper and clearly influenced by the Stevie Wonder school of soul singing--but with the same assurance and mastery of melisma. Not bad for a kid who has spent several years as a Disney Mouseketeer.