Warwick sings up sweet, soulful deja vu

Warwick sings up sweet, soulful deja vu

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Dionne Warwick is a diva in the true sense of the word.

She has a career spanning four decades, dozens of hit
singles, millions of record sold and an intriguing personal life.

The latter includes rocky relationships, speculation on her
sexual preference, her involvement in the Psychic Friends Network
during the 1990s and last year's bust at Miami airport for
allegedly carrying 11 joints in a lipstick case.

The latter put Warwick on Rock's 50 Greatest Meltdowns,
published by Rolling Stone last year. "Tragically, Warwick can no
longer remember the way to San Jose," it quipped.

All of that makes for tempting interview possibilities.

Unfortunately, she did not show up at the media conference on
Wednesday, or one a day prior to the show, behavior which one
might expect of a diva.

"We're really sorry, but Dionne is very tired. She just
arrived this afternoon from Japan, where she experienced the
earthquake. I guess she's also suffering from jetlag. So, she
decided to take some rest instead to prepare for the concert
tomorrow," said promoter Tommy Pratama from Original Production.

Now, why didn't her psychic friends warn her about the
earthquake?

Jetlag or not, she did make it to the stage Wednesday night,
sporting a close-cropped blonde hairdo.

"All telephones out, telephones out," she said as way of
warning.

The music began, and there it was, the soulful, silky-smooth
voice that has touched millions of fans for the past 40 years.

In fact, the concert here was part of the world tour aimed at
commemorating 40 years in music, a fact she reminded the audience
of midway through the concert.

"I thought the best way to celebrate the occasion is to visit
every country, every continent, every city. We started the world
tour in February.

"This year, I'm also preparing a double CD, with nothing but
duets. Duets with old friends, and new friends," Warwick
talk-cum-sang, still sounding soulful and beautiful.

"There will be duets with old friends. Gladys Knight. Patti
Labelle. Barry Manilow. Kenny Rogers. And some new friends as
well. Mya. A young woman who calls herself Pink. A group of three
young women, Destiny's Child. Hopefully the CD will be completed
just before Christmas," she said.

"The next song will become a duet with George Benson."

The audience cheered as Warwick sang I Say A Little Prayer,
one of her hits from the 1960s, the period where she was
discovered by composer Burt Bacharach at the beginning of a long
partnership.

Born Marie Dionne Warrick in East Orange, New Jersey, she
launched her career as Dionne Warwick because of a misspelling on
her recording contract.

She became one of the top pop stars of the 1960s, scoring
numerous Top 10 hits with songs penned by Bacharach and Hal
David, from Anyone Who Had a Heart, Message to Michael, Alfie and
her signature tune Do You Know the Way to San Jose?.

By 1974, she had split with Bacharach and David but returned
to the charts with the No. 1 R&B hit Then Came You.

Over the next two decades, Warwick continued her solo career,
all the while remaining in demand as a guest artist. Along the
way, she racked up five Grammys and five gold albums.

Outside of music, she also devoted time to Dionne Warwick
Design Group (an interior design firm), the U.S. syndicated radio
show Love Notes From Around The World, the TV show Solid Gold, a
perfume company, the Psychic Friends Network 1-900 business, and
major charity works where she has raised million of dollars for
AIDS-related causes.

She remains musically creative and popular, with the most
recent albums Friends Can Be Lovers (1993), which featured Sting
and Warwick's cousin Whitney Houston, and 1995's Latin-themed
Aquarela Do Brazil. Both sold well and received generally
positive reviews.

In 2000, VH1 noted that Dionne had 56 appearances on the Hot
100 chart, the same as Connie Francis, and second highest after
Aretha Franklin with 77 appearances.

At the age of 63, she showed during the concert that time has
not taken away any of her skills. Warwick belted out 15 flawless
renditions of hits in the 90-minute performance.

She kicked off with Don't Make Me Over, her very first hit
back in 1962, and continued with Walk On By. She sang one hit
after another almost in medley, displaying impressive power and
technique.

It was a pity the 2000-seat Cendrawasih Room at the Jakarta
Convention Center was not full. Over 30 percent of the seats,
with ticket prices ranging from Rp 350,000 to Rp 1 million, were
empty.

Perhaps a smaller venue, like the one for James Ingram's
performance last New Year's Eve, would have made for a warmer,
more intimate atmosphere.

Nevertheless, Warwick treated the audience to live versions of
I'll Never Fall In Love Again, The Girl's In Love With You, I'll
Never Love This Way Again and the closing number That's What
Friends Are For, her ensemble hit with Knight, Elton John and
Stevie Wonder from the mid-1980s.

Once again, as many times before, Warwick delivered some
sweet, soulful deja vu.