SATURDAY

Most musicians barely get a first chance, much less a second. Even if they manage the not insubstantial task of getting an album released, the great likelihood is that the disc will merely fall onto the proverbial pile, unopened and forgotten. And for the most part, this is as it should be. But such a fate would be especially cruel for a singer as good as Mary Ann Redmond. Fortunately, due to the stellar quality of her last CD, Here I Am, Q&W Music saw fit to take another listen to an older Redmond disc, Prisoner of the Heart. And they liked what they heard. That record has now been completely remixed, remastered, and returned to the marketplace with a national release. Even the photos on the cover are new. More important, the synthesizers have been removed—synthesizers should never get anywhere near a voice as raw and real as Redmond’s. A classic blues-based stylist, Redmond is best served by actual instruments; digital wizardry only obscures the purity of her stunning vocals. Heart alternates between Redmond the screamer—reaching notes so high that start somewhere so deep—and the plaintive Redmond, crying for love to arrive, last, and/or leave her alone. Redmond covers such standards as Sam Cooke’s “You Send Me,” Paul McCartney’s “Maybe I’m Amazed,” and Jimmy Cliff’s “Many Rivers to Cross,” but she shows no fear. Which is why her music should always have an audience. Redmond performs at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, at the State Theatre, 220 N. Washington St., Falls Church. $11. (703) 237-0300. (Dave Nuttycombe)