Taking the stage with unmistakable exuberance, Kay Hanley — wearing a black tank top that adorably framed her maternal tummy — delighted a rapt audience last Thursday at West Campus music venue, The Paradise. The Boston native and ex-Letters to Cleo frontwoman, embarking on a regional tour to promote her debut solo album, Cherry Marmalade, showcased her independent vocal and songwriting prowess with a lively, 17-song set.
Letters to Cleo’s final CD, Sister, dropped way back in 1998, but judging from the size of the effusive crowd at The Paradise, Hanley’s hometown fan base remains loyal. Best known for the mid-`90s anthem “Here and Now,” which shot to prominence on the Fox soap Melrose Place, Letters dissolved in the late `90s, when girly, lighthearted rock combos grew passe. Hanley’s absence from the limelight, however, has seemingly nurtured her strength and confidence as a performer.
Whether beautifully negotiating the vocal key changes of “Fall,” or rocking out with an acoustic guitar on “Satellite,” Hanley appeared energized and excited to be out on her own. Her five-man band includes her husband, Michael Eisenstein (whose sparkly American flag lapel pin caused Hanley to dub him “USA Mike”). He opened the short, scabrous “Mean Streak” with a rollicking guitar solo that proved to be one of the show’s high points.
Hanley’s casual, joking manner onstage (she took to teasing fans who requested certain Letters to Cleo songs with a cryptic “maybe” or an impudent, outright refusal) belies her range and intensity as a musician. Her beguiling presence brought out the emotional content of the songs, some of which seem lightweight and undistinguished on Cherry Marmalade. Caressing the microphone with a wistful look in her eye, she turned the bluesy ballad “Chady Saves the Day” into a haunting torch song. The vigor of the band and the dexterity of Hanley’s voice made the wordy chorus of “This Dreadful Life” (“So gimme everything/ This dreadful life has got to adore/ They say I had enough/ But now I think really need some more”) soar to exhilarating heights. The hook of “Sheltering Sky” was similarly infectious, leavened by Hanley’s delivery of the song’s amusing lyrics (“So now you know the world is saved/ From lipstick, boobs and babes …”). Although tracks from Cherry Marmalade dominated the set — she performed all 12— Hanley threw a few bones to her old fans with some tasty Letters to Cleo revivals. “Veda Very Shining,” the Cleo cut that closed her encore set, was a raucous crowd-pleaser that brought the house down as the lights came up. Throughout the show, she connected with individual fans, often searching the crowd for particular faces and taking the time to say a bemused “Thank you” to every single fan who shouted, “I love you, Kay!” After closing the set with the cosmic love song “Trans-Neptunian Object #1,” she returned to the stage to audience cheers. She opened the encore with “Galapagos,” a lovely, six-and-a-half minute ballad that incited one audience member to hold up his cell phone for a long-distance pal to hear. Hanley paused, strumming her guitar. “Hey Mr. Dude-on-a-Cell-Phone,” she said with an incredulous glance. “It’s Los Angeles!” the guy replied. “This is my friend’s favorite song!” Then Hanley showed just why the song is a favorite with a smooth, soulful performance.
The show’s wall-to-wall delight extended to the opening act, The Charms, a lightweight pop-punk act with a tambourine-playing blonde girl singer. Having fun with a string of propulsive, if slightly repetitive, hooks and bass lines, The Charms felt like a throwback to the days when bands like Letters to Cleo delighted high school kids across the land.
Now that those high school kids are graduating from college, it’s nice to see that an audience still exists for upbeat rock with a feminine edge. Thursday night, The Charms and Kay Hanley gave Paradise audiences the chance to party like it was 1995. Hooray for Kay — Boston is happy to have her back.