ENGELBERT
T
he slicked-back, black-leathered
figure astride the huge motor-
cycle looks more like Lorenzo
Lamas than a middle-aged bal-
ladeer. Beneath this squinting, windswept
rogue on the CD cover is just one name
— in huge letters: ENGELBERT.
It's all part of Engelbert Humperdinck's
new image — one he hopes will take him
into the '90s and help win a younger
crowd. The moustache and tuxedo are out.
But the dark tan, pleasant demeanor and
velvety voice are still in, ready to make
all the ladies in the balcony swoon. It may
be 1996, but Humperdinck, 60, remains
the undisputed King of Romance.
His recording history boasts 130 mil-
lion albums sold (many through his spe-
cial TV offer, no doubt), 64 of them gold
and 23 of them platinum. Early hits such
as "Release Me" and "The Last Waltz"
have become standards. His legendary
status with fans is confirmed; but today,
Humperdinck is confident he'll connect
with Generation X.
"I always say you can be of any age to
enjoy a romantic song or be in a roman-
tic mood," he said in a recent phone in-
terview. "I feel very blessed that I have a
four-generation audience. Those who
come are 9 to 19 to 90 years old; it's right
across the board. But I want to appeal
to the younger people, and I think this
new album certainly will."
With his new "electric-sounding" al-
bum After Dark currently in the works,
the singer is also in the middle of a tour
that will bring him to the Fox Theatre
After Dark
this week for five shows."There's no rest
for the wicked," Humperdinck laughed
quietly.
As for the stage show, he promises a
mix of new and old. "I can't perform a con-
... There's some up-tempo stuff; it's a very
fast-paced show."
The show also includes a throwback to
his less-glitzy days as a club performer.
"I do a little section where I let the audi-
ence know how I got started in this busi-
ness, which is by doing impressions of
people like Sammy Davis, Elvis Presley
and Jerry Lewis."
Does Humperdinck think he is poised
to join Tom Jones and Tony Bennett as
one of the senior-citizen crooners cur-
rently enjoying a massive career boost?
To put it mildly, it's a question he's heard
before.
"I have respect for both of them," he
said. "I think we're all really different
characters. Tom's doing the rap thing and
that's fine for him. Tony's doing more of
the standards-type thing.
Engelbert
But I have a very differ-
Humperdinck's ent voice than both Tom
riding high on
and Tony, and I think that
his new tour
we
each have our own
and upcoming
style. I'm glad to see that
release, After
they're both doing well."
Dark.
But he hastens to add,
"There's room in this business for all of
us. 2,
— Todd Wicks
cert without singing 'Release Me' and 'Af-
ter the Lovin'.' There'll be some stuff from
Love Unchained (his 1995 album of lush-
ly orchestrated standards), a cover of a
Bryan Adams song, an Elton John tune
This Week's Best Bets
z MOT presents the classical bal-
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U.J
96
Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.;
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Koko Taylor and
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Fri.-Sat. Henry Ford Museum
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born. (31.3) 271-1620, Ext. 301.
Fri., 11 a.m.-9 p.m.;
Sat., 11 a.m.-7 p.m.;
Sun., 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
The Marquis Theatre Children
perform a musical adaptation of
the little taped wonder in one of
the world's best-known fairy
tales. 135 E. Main, Northville.
(313) 349-8110.
Fri., 7:30 p.m.;
Sat., 2:30 p.m.
The legendary pianist Will accept
the Uriiversity Musical Society
Distinguished Artist Award, fol-
lowed by a recital including
pieces by Brahrns, Debussy and
Scriabin. Hill Auditorium, Ann
Arbor. (313) 764-2538.
Sat., 6 p.m.
The Queen of the Blues brings
her Chicago-style tunes to the
new Magic Bag. Her high-en-
ergy, powerful vocals have
teamed with Willie Dixon, Bud-
dy Guy and other blues greats.
22920 Woodward, Ferndale.
(810) 544-3030.
Sat., 9 p.m.