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.