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Susan Anton Convinces With Her Voice

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SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

What comes to mind when the name Susan Anton is mentioned? How about: tall, blond and beautiful with a spectacular smile; or maybe the 1979 movie “Goldengirl” or the TV series “Baywatch”; and what about that Perfect Buns infomercial?

All of those, for sure, but not necessarily singing, even though Anton has spent the past five years or so as a guest star with the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes in Las Vegas and has headlined at Manhattan’s Rainbow & Stars cabaret room. But neither those appearances nor a hit album in Japan has exactly brought her to the forefront of the music world.

So it’s not surprising that skepticism was in the air when she opened a two-week run at the Cinegrill on Wednesday. But all doubts were swept aside before she had finished her first number. That’s how long it took for Anton to make a convincing case for herself as a first-rate musical talent, her warm and supple voice enhanced by an intelligent, imaginative performing style.

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Moving easily from rich, confident blues phrasing that recalled the best of Bonnie Bramlett, she was warm and intimate with inner-looking numbers such as “In My Life,” touchingly sensitive with special items such as “For My Wedding” and “The Things We’ve Handed Down.”

Her program, in fact, was a winner on all counts: the far-ranging choice of material, with selections from Bob Dylan and Lennon-McCartney as well as a number of compelling songs from unfamiliar songwriters; a superb and completely empathetic musical setting provided by a quintet that has worked with Anton for more than a decade; and, above all, Anton’s upfront skill, her easygoing manner and warm communication. Looks may count and they’ve obviously taken Anton a long way, but it’s her unexpectedly stunning musical talent that makes her vastly more than just another pretty face.

* Susan Anton at the Cinegrill, Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, 7000 Hollywood Blvd. Fridays and Saturdays at 8 and 10:30 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday at 8 p.m. Through Nov. 4. $22 and $25, two-drink minimum. (323) 466-7000.

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