Pop Music Reviews : Easton: Charm to Spare, Industrial-Strength Lungs

Sporting the body that’s no doubt inspired its share of health club enrollments, Sheena Easton played the Universal Amphitheatre on Friday with an hour-plus, high-energy workout of every song she’s ever recorded. Or maybe it just seemed that way. Easton, of the tautly muscled torso and industrial-strength lungs, is an attractively gifted singer with charm to spare. But her act still contained a lot of bloat.

While Easton (who also plays the Pacific Amphitheatre on Saturday) can outclass many other pop vocalists on emotive, lung-bursting ballads like “I Wouldn’t Beg for Water” and “For Your Eyes Only,” she wasted a lot of time on lightweight sweat-inducers like “No Deposit, No Return.” Easton sounded best when she stuck to fresher fare, such as “Sugar Walls,” a song that earned her Tipper Gore’s brand as a corrupter of youth. “Hey, Dan Quayle’s more dangerous to this country than I am,” Easton chortled Friday. And he probably doesn’t look nearly as cute in exercise gear.

Opening act Atlantic Starr’s set was marred by new member Portia Martin. Her over-reaching efforts made you long for the more subtle demeanor of Barbara Weathers, the singer she recently replaced in the group.