Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer

Mary Isaacs performing at the Grog Shoppe Restaurant, Devon House, Hope Road, St. Andrew, on Saturday night. - Winston Sill / Freelance Photographer

Sequins glistened on Mary Isaacs' black top and stars winked from the night sky, indicating that the clouds which oversaw previous heavy afternoon showers were gone, at the Grog Shoppe on Saturday night.

However, there were very few persons occupying the tables for an evening of jazz and contemporary music and, although the numbers of those having a sip or bite at single candlelit tables and drinking in the music increased as the night went on, it was never enough to be called a decent audience.

Generally it was, though, a respectful one, which listened to Isaacs' mixture of songs, delivered to recorded tracks, applauding with extra vigour where warranted, Billy Joel's New York State of Mind among the songs getting that extra bit of support.

Coming up to 9:00 p.m., Isaacs was in a soulful mood with Millie Jackson's If You're Not Back In Love By Monday, moving from pre break-up advice to the sad side of love with Misty, right hand holding the microphone and left hand putting movement to song as it did for most of the evening. Evergreen was ended with two long notes to the appropriate applause.

Changing the pace

Saying that she was going to change the pace for all the lovers in the house, Isaacs went reggae with Someone Loves You Honey, starting the song low, voice rising on the line "every minute, every day and night." Swinging her hips, Isaacs made the song gender appropriate with "just be my guy" and issued an invitation to people to dance which was not taken up. There was more reggae with Perfidia, which ended with a repeated Goodbye.

A few songs got introductions from Isaacs and a return to R&B was preceded with "this one is dedicated to the women in the house." Made popular by Barbara Streisand, it is called Woman In Love. And Isaacs put her all into the line "it's a right I defend," holding out her left hand, closing her eyes and leaning her entire body. The stars stayed up as she promised "Baby I'm yours, until the stars fall from the sky" and Isaacs looked out and back at the morning rain for the feel of a Natural Woman.

Both hands clutched the microphone for The Way We Were, also known as Memories and the applause started before she finished the last line. "I lived in New York for some time, for many, many years. Me come back home I just pulled this one out of the closet today," Isaacs said to introduce New York State of Mind, dropping in "Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Manhattan" into the lyrics near the end.

There was a leap in tempo from the slow Unforgettable to the swinging holler of Hey Big Spender to bring up a 15 minute break.

Honoured the season

And when she came back, Isaacs honoured the season just past with Summertime, delivered At Last to that extra applause, went into cowboy territory with Crazy and dedicated Stand By Your Man to all the men in the house, the few that there were. She gave thanks For The Love of You before going reggae with Waiting In Vain and went for Cliff's I Can See Clearly Now as a wisp of smoke from an extinguished candle wafted into the air. "And stars!" Isaacs exclaimed, looking up after the line "There's nothing but blue skies."

And it was back to R&B as the evening headed towards its slated 10:30 p.m. end, Isaacs declaring her preference for Luther Vandross' version of A House Is Not a Home and starting the song appropriately low and sitting on a high chair to be "easy like Sunday morning" on a Saturday night.