Dionne Warwick

While the word "icon" has been thrown around a little too easily lately - Dionne Warwick is a true one.

One of the best and most recognized voices for over five decades, Warwick is a wonderful mixture of extreme talent and one of entertainment's greatest humanitarians, as she has served on boards and donated her time and resources to a myriad of causes (she is also a former U.S. Ambassador of Health and United Nations Global Ambassador).

Warwick performed on December 9, 2021, at the Lynn Auditorium in Lynn, Massachusetts. Being as this is the holiday season, it was also the first night of her Christmas-themed shows.

Opening with "Walk on By", one of the many classic Burt Bacharach/Hal David compositions that Warwick interpreted during the 1960s, when she was as strong a radio presence and hit-making machine as The Supremes and Motown had been.

Warwick followed up with several holiday-themed tunes, as she has an upcoming Christmas duets album coming out soon. She crooned beautiful and tasteful renditions of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", "Jingle Bells", "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", "Winter Wonderland", "White Christmas", and "I'll Be Home for Christmas". Backed by a string quartet, a rhythm section, and a piano, Warwick's voice is still astonishing and has not lost one iota of its power or luster. Her confident stage presence is a wonder as she truly loves performing to her adoring audience.

Returning to her standard catalogue, Warwick performed a reworked take of "I Say a Little Prayer for You", (which saw a renewal in the 1990s, due to its inclusion in the romantic comedy, "My Best Friend's Wedding") as a duet with the drummer in her live band, David Elliott, who just happens to also be the son of Warwick (and he possesses an angelic voice, just like his mother).

Warwick then performed a stellar version of "The Christmas Song", which was most popularly done by Nat King Cole. Taking on such a well-known standard would be a huge task for many, but Warwick flawlessly delivered a soulful and sweet take on the winter-time ballad.

Once again revisiting her hit-parade-filled repertoire, Warwick unveiled two more Bacharach/David masterpieces, "Do You Know The Way to San Jose"? (a feel-good song of leaving the pursuit of fame in Los Angeles to return to the familiarity and sanity of ones hometown) and the always touching, and very appropriate nowadays, "What The World Needs Now".

After delivering one more Christmas song, "The First Noel" (Warwick's love of Christmas was very sincere, as she referred to her strong faith a couple of times), she finished the show with "That's What Friends Are For", one of the most enduring serenades from the 1980s

Warwick then left the stage as she had entered it, with an abundance of the class and dignity that has defined her entire life and career.

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