Pop Music : Francis Overcomes Drawbacks

“You really don’t know what you have until you lose it,” Connie Francis told her audience at the Celebrity Theatre in Anaheim on Saturday, referring to the years when she lost her voice after a traumatic 1974 rape and other personal tragedies. She has been actively singing again since 1981, and her 100-minute performance showed that the 52-year-old vocalist is making the most of her gift.

Unfortunately, the sound mix was atrocious, with her voice run through a shrill electronic reverb. Her rhythm section and the hired pit band often seemed hopelessly out of sync, and an amateurishly produced film montage of her career further distracted from her singing. These drawbacks overwhelmed the first half of Francis’ show, which featured her chirpy, barely rocking hits of the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, such as “Stupid Cupid” and “Where the Boys Are.”

The second half--thankfully minus the movie screens--allowed the quality and emotion of her voice to shine through. She drew on her heritage for an Italian-language tune and the emotion-drenched “For Mama,” while “Malaguena” soared with melismatic, Moorish vocal touches. Her pain-edged voice dug deeply into a Judy Garland medley, and Francis even claimed a piece of the Sinatra signature tune “My Way,” earning two standing ovations.