Carolyne Mas

“ROCK: CAROLYNE MAS

Carolyne Mas, who opened for the Persuasions at the Other End on Tuesday and Wednesday, seems made to order for a successful rock career. She is a compelling and versatile singer. She writes clever, personal songs that use basic rock-and-roll elements in fresh ways. Her moves and stage presence project just the right combination of spontaneity and professional artifice. She has assembled an impressively tight and passionate band. She has been attracting considerable media attention and the interest of several record companies.

It may be that Miss Mas is a little too perfect. But the economics of the rock business being what they are, there does not seem to be much room for promising but raw talent. Recording, promoting and, with luck, making money on a rock album takes an initial investment of hundreds of thousands of dollars, and, increasingly, the major record companies seem to be looking for ready-made talents. Perfection is not just desirable, it is becoming mandatory.

So Miss Mas, a newcomer working as an opening act in a Greenwich Village showcase club, is performing as if she were already on an important theater and arena tour. Her band includes several studio professionals; it is unlikely that these musicians are working for a pittance and a theoretical stake in Miss Mas's future. The lighting, the pacing of the show, the programming of the set, everything is thoroughly professional, just right.

Happily enough, Miss Mas has enough personality to overcome the potentially deadly effect of this kind of prepackaging. The idiom of her songs is close to Bruce Springsteen's, but they are a woman's songs, and at their best they convey a particular feminine sensibility with a tough, resilient wit and charm. Her singing is powerful without being overbearing and she knows how to drive a band on rhythm guitar. A talent that seems ready-made for the present instant is a talent nonetheless.” - Robert Palmer