I attended a New Years concert at Disney Hall featuring the singing talents of Belinda Carlisle and Rufus Wainwright. Carlisle's songs were taken, for the most part, from Voila, her first new album in a decade, which features songs by renowned classic French songsmiths like Serge Gainsbourg, Jacques Brel, and Edith Piaf. She is better known as a pop diva with the Go-Gos, but claims France as her spiritual home. Well, her years of study have paid off. Showing a deep connection to the emotional and artistic requirements of the music, she surprised and ultimately thrilled the audience with her singing.

Rufus Wainwright is another case. I had first seen him at the Hollywood Bowl last summer recreating Judy Garland's famous Hollywood Bowl concert. He had previously recreated Garland's Carnegie Hall concert to great acclaim, but had a more difficult time with the Hollywood Bowl show. At that concert his voice seemed strained at times, and he seemed nervous - understandable, given the immense outdoor venue and the challenge of a cold evening in the open air. I wanted to hear him again in an indoor and smaller venue, and this was my opportunity.

Wainwright is from Quebec, so French material is not foreign to him, and he did some wonderful songs, including one his mother sang to him as a child. But again his manner seemed a bit offhand and unprepared, which can be endearing but is finally irritating. He has a lovely voice but not much dynamic range, and has a tendency to hit a high note and hold it, even wailing it. His voice is pleasant, but I yearned for more dynamism. It should be noted he is also famous as a composer and actor. So he is a bona fide triple threat and has a huge following.

The concert, which was a short hour and twenty minutes, had some terrific orchestral arrangements by Dave Palmer on piano and keyboard. His musicians were excellent, particularly Fabrice Martinez on violin and Jean-Paul Monsche on accordion. The band also included Timothy Young on guitars, Reggie Hamilton on acoustic bass, and Jay Bellerose on drums.