Esther Satterfield could sing almost anything-and proves it on her first solo album, "Once I Love." She has been heard previously as a featured performer with the chuck Mangione Quartet. Here as producer Mangione lets Satterfield's voice stand out almost alone, reigning over spare arrangements that feature musicians from his own group as well as his brother, pianist Gap Mangione.
Satterfield's voice is pure, clear, controlled and surprising in its strength. Her material is diverse, including some old Four Tops, Stevie Wonder, Gershwin, Miriam Makeba, the theme from an old movie and a jazzy version of the Black National Anthem. She sings everything well, but her tight phrasing works best on the more romantic ballads, especially "Love is Stronger Far than We," Mangione's "Look to the Children" and the title cut.
Melba Moore's latest LP, "This is It" is anything but. The producer, disco king Van McCoy (the creator of last summer's hit, "The Hustle"), tries to prop up Moore's small voice with layers of insistent drumming, strings and background voices. The arrangements lie somewhere between the lushness of Marvin Gaye and the overkill-extravaganza of Barry White, but they are totally unsuited to Moore. She screams and whines a lot (probably to make herself heard), and the end result is unnecessarily strident, not soulful. She should return to the concept of "Peach Melba," released a few months ago--a simple and uncluttered album with some really beautiful moments.
CARPENTER CENTER
Video show: works by Nam Paik, William Wegman, and Peter Campus, Monday-Friday April 19-23, 2-3:30 pm.
KIRKLAND HOUSE
Little Rascals festival, Friday and Saturday at 8 and 10.
LEHMAN HALL
Our Man in Havana (Alec Guiness and Burl Ives in a film from a hilarious Graham Greene spy novel), Friday and Saturday at 8 to 10.
SCIENCE CENTER A
Satyajit Ray's Days and Nights in the Forest Saturday at 8 to 10.
SCIENCE CENTER C
The Warmth of yours Hands (a Soviet film set in Georgia), today at 7 and 9; Serpico, Friday and Saturday at 8 to 10:30.
HARKNESS COMMONS
Frank Capra's It Happened One Night, (Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert), Saturday at 8 to 10.
BRATTLE
Luis Bunuel's Viridiana at 6:15 and 9:30; his Nazarin at 6:50.
CENTRAL I
Harold and Maude at 6, 7:45 and 9:30.
CENTRAL II
Werner Herzog's The Mystery of Kaspar Hauser (Germany's most acclaimed new director's film on a 19th century German wild child) at 6, 8, and 10.
GALERIA
The Story of Adele H at 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10.
HARVARD SQUARE
Tommy at 2:15, 6 and 9:45; Drive, He Said at 4:15 and 8.
ORSON WELLES I
Disney Film Festival at 4, 6:35, and 9:05.
ORSON WELLES II
The Two Kennedys; A View from Europe at 4, 6, 8, and 10.
ORSON WELLES III
Night Moves (Arthur Penn directs Gene Hackman) at 4 and 7:35; Force of Evil at 6 and 9:25.
