Singer Adams Makes Emotional Connection

Teasing the piano keys midway through her set Sunday at the Wiltern Theatre, Oleta Adams said, “I had to show you I know more than one song.” Best known for “Get Here,” a poignant Brenda Russell ballad that grew to anthem-like proportions during the 1991 Persian Gulf War, Adams hasn’t followed up that hit with anything of comparable impact.

A bigger star in Europe than she is here--which may have to do with her having been discovered by British pop duo Tears for Fears--Adams has no flashy patina of hipness about her. She’s just a dignified, classy singer who makes few concessions to trends or commercialism.

Touring in support of her current album “Moving On,” a project that has sold only about 76,000 copies since its release, according to Billboard magazine, Adams dryly added on Sunday, “I love music, not the music business. I’ll sell my record door to door if I have to. . . . Somebody’s got to.” While seeming overly serious and dour at times, Adams turned in undeniably moving performances on certain songs. Particularly beautiful were Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind” and the new album’s “I Knew You When,” which she delivered as an AIDS-era love song.

Adams honed her performing skills through many years in Midwestern hotel lounges and piano bars before landing her first record contract in 1990. While not an especially exciting artist to watch on stage, she is adept at making an indelible, emotional connection with her audience.