THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, June 2, 1995 TAG: 9506020079
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E9 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 51 lines
LISA BROKOP broke up the crowd at The Bait Shack Wednesday, a full house that offered her several standing ovations.
The nightclub, usually offering rock 'n' roll performers, went Canadian country with a singer barely old enough to get into a club.
It is hard to believe that Lisa Brokop is only 21. Her voice is BIG - that seems to be the in thing these days - and very well-controlled.
Offstage, one-on-one, she seems a little nervous, but onstage she is comfortable and professional.
Brokop, who has a Colgate smile and a Vogue figure, can be a major star if luck, good management and sympathetic radio programming match her talent.
Probably the youngest gal singer in the business working with a major record company (Patriot), Brokop chooses her material wisely. She offered no yawners.
There was a preview of her next single, a good up-tempo piece, ``Who Needs You?'' She sang it Wednesday and started making the video Thursday.
She made a movie a few years ago, a Canadian flick called ``Harmony Cats.'' The up-front singer portrayed a backup singer.
One of the songs from that film is the Tammy Wynette trademark, ``Stand By Your Man,'' performed - is this sacrilegious? - as well as it was originally.
Brokop concentrated on songs from her albums, but some of the concert highlights were the surprises.
``Teach Me Tonight,'' a `50s pop piece, later picked up by Al Jarreau, was excellent; Sawyer Brown's ``Betty's Bein' Bad'' was good, due in large part to her fine band.
The concert ended, as several do these days, with a couple of gospel songs, not surprising since Brokop was voted Gospel Performer of the Year by the British Columbia Country Music Association before she got her high school diploma.
At The Bait Shack she swung - respectfully - ``Goin' to Jerusalem,'' but the goose-bump offering was the Brokop ``from-deep-within-the-heart'' version of ``Amazing Grace,'' with beautiful keyboard and wailing sax accompaniment.
The opening act was The Mann Sisters, who seem to have opened for every area visitor except President Clinton.
As usual, their harmony was second-to-none and, as usual, their band provided fine backup.
A final note: Lisa Brokop will be back in town Oct. 8, a featured performer at the Peanut Fest in Suffolk. by CNB