Talented singer delivers somewhat rushed performance

There are two versions of Molly Johnson. One is shy and ragged. The other is sultry and completely cocoons you.

Saturday night at the Arden Theatre’s season launch we saw this confident dynamo delve into the songbook of musical giants with some unforgettable jazz, blues and musical theatre standards. She even threw in a couple of country tunes for variety.

Dressed in a black sheath that showed off her curves, the Toronto-based singer delivered an evening of romantic blues starting with George Gershwin’s melancholy But Not For Me, an intimate number that set the tone for the concert.

With a minimum of chatter she segued into one Sticks and Stones and next visited If You Know Love. Without a conversational break, it was easy to fall under the magic spell of her husky voice and embrace the music’s emotion.

Johnson also slid into Duke Ellington’s Solitude with a soft, sad ache in her voice that scorched the soul, whereas in spooning out Lucky her lively, lush vocals sounded almost giddy.

Starting the second set was Rain, a sweeping dance number with a smouldering beat followed by Gee, Baby, Ain’t I Good to You, a number once popularized by the King Cole Trio.

Sandwiched in between a couple of jazz standards was a heart-grabbing Charlie Pride number before she ended with Gershwin’s famous golden Summertime. The result was a restrained, elegant evening.

If anything, Johnson was a generous singer, giving her trio of top-notch musicians an opening to improvise in every number. Focused and inventive drummer Davide Direnzo put on a sizzling set between Mike Downes frenetic, deep walking bass and the sensitive, enchanting stylings of pianist Robi Botsch.

Giving performers, this quartet was able to find the heart in any given song and deliver it in an intelligent, emotional way that pushed the right buttons.

Johnson proved to be a gracious hostess throughout the evening. Despite the superb talent that delivered fresh insights into each chart, the entire concert felt rushed and unsatisfying.

It started late and ended early. Johnson arrived in town with about an hour to do sound and light checks, apply makeup and dress and get into the right headspace for the concert. The next morning she had a 4:30 a.m. wakeup call to fly off to San Francisco.

Walking out of the Arden lobby, I felt as if I’d been invited to a restaurant with a tantalizing menu, hurriedly served and then pushed out the door without savouring all the subtleties of the meal.

Johnson is definitely a class act to catch. But the next time she performs in the area, I hope she serves a dinner where wine is allowed to breathe.