Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, October 5, 1993 TAG: 9310050156
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MARK MORRISON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
What a song.
And Morgan belted it home with authority, giving it the appropriate dose of drama. Morgan definitely has a flair for drama on stage.
She also has a strong, husky voice, suited to an emotional song like "Something in Red," a bittersweet ballad about a woman trying to keep the spark in her marriage from fizzling.
Unfortunately, not every song Morgan performed Friday packed such a wallop.
"A Picture of Me Without You," originally done by George Jones, was another highlight, but it still didn't match "Something in Red."
Nor was Morgan able to quite re-create the same fevered pitch in anything else.
If she had throughout her short hourlong show, then the 3,896 people in the audience would have heard a real treat.
As it was, they didn't.
Instead, they got more mediocre, middle-of-the-road country pop - both in song and in delivery.
That doesn't mean the concert was entirely mediocre, either. It wasn't. Morgan was in fine voice, despite the sub-par songs.
She looked good, first wearing a black outfit that looked like something you would wear to an elegant dinner party, rather than a honky-tonk. The second was a flashy white Tammy Wynette number.
She also shared a charming story of shooting a video with Kris Kristofferson, and about getting jealous when he takes off with another lover in the video.
It helped, too, that upbeat Tracy Lawrence was second on the bill.
He carried a large backing band - seven members - for an opener. Morgan also had seven in her band.
The big band helped give Lawrence a full sound. More straight-ahead country, he kept pace with his band through a 45-minute set that mixed ballads with uptempo, but never went overboard with either.
Lawrence has a solid, easy-going voice that isn't particularly distinctive. But he made up for its shortfalls with a commanding stage presence and sincere enthusiasm.
He honestly seemed to be out there for the sheer fun of performing.
Lawrence also showcased some strong songs, particularly "Sticks and Stones," "Alibis," "Somebody Paints the Wall" and "It Only Takes One Bar (To Make a Prison)."
He is a keeper.
The opener was relative unknown Brian James.
Chances are he won't be unknown too long, though. James has the right tight-jeaned, pretty-haired look, and a solid enough voice to take him along.
by CNB