Like her mother Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli has a strong and expressive voice. Having grown up under the lights of stage and screen, she displayed the chops of a seasoned veteran even in her youth. 1977's THE ACT finds Minnelli singing with the divine bravura that ranges from soft sentimentality to gruff belting. She performs the 13 selections with delightful ease. The songs themselves range from swinging honky-tonk to the semi-gospel shadings of "Turning." This is theatrical music. From the chorus refrains to the instrumental arrangements and backings, there is a broadness to the songs' dynamics and intonation that puts the listener behind the footlights. If the comic dialogue intro to "Arthur in the Afternoon" is reminiscent of Minnelli's performance in "Cabaret," it should be; the talented songwriting team of John Kander and Fred Ebb created both this album's powerful songs and those of the 1970 musical that earned Minnelli her Oscar for best actress.
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