Martin-Lani’s timeless love duets delight ‘Masquerade’s’ well-heeled crowd

Martin Nievera (left) and Lani Misalucha

The masked backup dancers sashayed to the festive, Latin-inflected beats of the Lionel Richie hit, “All Night Long.”

Martin Nievera was in the groove, belting it out. So was his coheadliner, Lani Misalucha. But every so often, she fidgeted with her in-ear monitors and gestured toward the sound engineers on her left.

It was the night’s first song, and there seemed to be a bit of a problem.

The technical issue persisted at least until the third number, “Love Never Felt This Good.” But although Lani looked like she wasn’t hearing herself or the music clearly, she didn’t sound like it.

A consummate professional, she wasn’t about to let that minor hiccup get in the way of the performance.

And so, without missing a note, she went for it—high notes, riffs, harmonies and all—much to the delight of the well-heeled crowd at the recent repeat of the two singers’ Valentine show, “Masquerade,” at the Solaire Grand Ballroom.

It was smooth-sailing from then on for Martin and Lani, who proceeded to serenade the fans with such standards as “The Way You Look Tonight”; and a heady mix of soul, R&B and disco numbers, like “Stop! In the Name of Love,” “It’s Not Unusual,” “Betcha By Golly Wow” and “Proud Mary.”

They sang smooth, timeless love duets that made just about everyone in the venue sigh and swoon—“Unforgettable,” “The Very Thought of You” and “Inseparable,” in which Martin’s no-frills delivery complemented Lani’s fluttery vocal embellishments.

Another highlight was the medley of the Broadway tunes, “Memory,” “All I Ask of You,” “This is the Moment,” “I Dreamed a Dream” and “Somewhere,” which Martin and Lani attacked with steely ferocity.

Sturdy, powerful

For the solo spots, Martin put his sturdy and powerful baritone to work in a medley of his biggest hits, including “How Can I,” “Be My Lady” and “Pain.”

All the while, Martin wandered in the crowd, goofing around and letting not a few giddy fans a few precious seconds on the microphone.

Lani, on the other hand, showed off her skills in operatic singing via the aria, “Queen of the Night,” and waltzed from one vocal register to another in the torch song, “Broken Vow.”

As far as set lists go, this concert’s was par for the course. But Martin and Lani did inject just enough new material (Adele’s and Richie’s respective “Hello” songs were sung in a counterpoint duet) to shake things up from time to time.

Then, for much-needed humor, Martin and Lani presented an amusing love story told through text messages (displayed on the screen), and whose momentous parts were marked by songs.