But the Scotsman (gearing up for U.S. citizenship, he says) really reveled in material from more recent decades. As he bantered freely with the crowd, Morton joked that 1974-78 would have been his peak years. His silky 90-minute set gradually filled up with covers that would have warmed Casey Kasem's Top 40 heart.
"Let It Be" rang with conviction. "Time After Time" was a gorgeous, soulful cry. Morton even braved Whitney Houston with "I Have Nothing," putting grit into the power balled and creating a surprisingly exciting "Dreamgirls"-y moment.
Karen Carpenter got a shout-out — best ever, in Morton's world — in his introspective, vulnerable rendition of "A Song for You." Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" is becoming a bit of a trademark for Morton (the set was a significant variation on his appearance at Signature Theatre's cabaret earlier this year), and he snarled and purred with his reliably insightful dynamic sense. Reeder drove the song hard, bending over the keyboard, his head swaying with the biting anthem's rise and fall.
At the end, Morton comically flaunted a letter from Barbara Cook, the namesake of this performance series, in which the legendary singer suggested he close the show by turning off the microphones (one of her trademarks) and singing "Danny Boy." He did. Deeply sweet.
