Sedaka shows off musical mastery at Orleans

Friday, Nov. 14, 2003 | 8:36 a.m.

Sedaka vocals have remarkable range and he didn't hit a sour note in his all-but-sold-out, 90-minute performance at The Orleans' 700-seat showroom earlier this week.

The voice is as smooth, clear and strong as ever.

If you're staying away from a Sedaka show because you think he's just another performer from the glory days of rock 'n' roll who refuses to grow old, think again.

Sedaka doesn't merely sing well for his age, he sings well for any age.

Nor does he merely pay tribute to himself during his concert, performing only his greatest hits, such as "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do," "Oh, Carol," "Calendar Girl" or "Happy Birthday, Sweet Sixteen."

He is not a caricature of himself.

Backed by a guitar, drums, sax, keyboards and a backup singer, Sedaka performs those instantly recognizable hits, of course, but they don't adequately reflect the range of his vocal ability.

He also sings an array of newer, more challenging songs, such as "You," "Hands of Time" and "Never Ending Serenade,"

Sedaka's live performance gives him the opportunity to surprise fans with just how talented, and personable, a performer he truly is.

Sedaka reaches back into musical history, far past the early days of rock 'n' roll, and uses the music of such classic composers as Puccini, Chopin and Rachmaninoff to frame contemporary lyrics he has written.

Using a video of his daughter, Dara, filmed in the '80s, he sings a duet -- "Should've Never Let You Go."

Also using a video, he sings a duet with the late Dinah Washington.

He performs "Solitaire," a song he wrote decades ago, which singer Clay Aiken recently sang on "American Idol" and has since recorded.

And the audience loved Sedaka, giving him five standing ovations before the evening was through.

Several times during the show Sedaka would pause in the middle of a song and let fans complete the lyrics, so familiar are the words -- at least to the middle-aged crowd that dominated the showroom.

As do so many performers these days, Sedaka began the show with a montage of black-and-white film to set the mood. We got to see him wearing a suit with thin lapels and pegged pants and a skinny tie while appearing on "American Bandstand" and "The Ed Sullivan Show."

Having grown up onstage, where he has spent most of his life, the Brooklyn-born Sedaka is as at ease in front of an audience as most people are in their own living rooms. He is as cool as they come.

In the middle of a song he can joke with his fans and pose for a picture.

Between songs he talks about his life -- his cab-driving father who worked hard to pay for his music lessons, his twin 10-month old granddaughters, his brief retirement from performing.

"I was known as king of the tra-la-las," Sedaka joked.

He also discusses a forced early retirement.

"Between 1958 and 1963 I sold 40 million records around the world," the gracious performer told the fans. "In 1963 a new group came out called the Beatles -- not good. I retired and I stopped singing for 10 years, but I wrote for Andy Williams, Johnny Mathis, Karen Carpenter, Peggy Lee and others."

Sedaka's performing career was revived in 1974 when Elton John's label, Rocket Records, recorded "Laughter in the Rain" and "Bad Blood."

In 1975 Sedaka wrote "Love Will Keep Us Together," which was made into a hit by Captain & Tennille.

"Love" won Sedaka his first Grammy, for Song of the Year.

Although he clearly enjoys performing new songs he has written, Sedaka embraces his past hits as well.

"The songs of the '50s were happy songs," he said. "They were a little naive, but at least you could understand the lyrics."

And once you have seen him perform, you will have a better understanding of Neil Sedaka.