Murray wants to sing you a love song

Joe Delaney

Friday, Oct. 24, 1997 | 9:35 a.m.

Anne Murray is a warm, gracious, talented person. She nearly filled the 1,200-seat Bally's Celebrity Room Thursday night with a responsive crowd that thoroughly enjoyed the 95 minutes of songs well-sung and pleasant talk, rewarding the lady from Nova Scotia with a well-deserved standing ovation and rewarded, in turn, with an extra encore.

The program, after a brief overture by the six superb musicians and female backup singer: "Time Don't Run Out On Me," "Shame On Me," "Just Another Woman In Love," "The Other Side," "I Still Wish The Very Best For You," "Trust Me Baby," "I Just Fall In Love Again," "That's The Way It Goes"; then an unplugged section that included "I Want To Sing You A Love Song," "Last Dance," "Somebody's Always Saying Goodbye" and "Snowbird."

She also delivered: "I Know Too Much," "If You Won't See Me," "Me, Too," a wonderful "Croonin" medley, "What Would It Take," "You Needed Me," "Daydream Believer," "Could I Have This Dance" and Kenny Loggins' "Danny's Song" for an encore. Extras: "There's A Hippo In My Bathtub," midway, and "A Little Good News," preceding the encore in a perfectly-paced, beautifully sung and played program.

Thursday morning I spoke on the phone with country music great Eddy Arnold, who said his favorite female singer was Anne Murray. Told I was covering her opening night, he asked me to tell her so. I was there in 1971 when she made her Las Vegas debut at the Hilton as an opening act. It was a great pleasure to share last night with her and her audience.

JOE DELANEY is a SUN entertainment critic.

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