John De Marco just finished up his latest run at Danny’s Skylight Room, where his repertoire was an unusual blend of old and new. His songs reflected his childhood influences, old jazz standards and contemporary radio pop. His voice radiated through them all.

Joining De Marco on stage were 2003 MAC award winner Brandon Cutrell and Jackie Fornatale, who, in addition to providing backup vocals, each sang a ditty of their own. On the piano was musical director and MAC and BISTRO award winner Daryl Kojak, on drums Peter Restleff and Sean Conly on bass.

The tenor appropriately began his set with the Gershwin/Duke classic I Can’t Get Started. His charismatic voice warmed the audience right up, as did the touches of humor thrown into the lyrics, “I’ve been invited by President B, even Hillary’s had me to tea.” The arrangement was pleasantly upbeat.

He next brought the audience to an intimate place with George Michael’s Kissing A Fool. Here De Marco’s voice echoed life lessons as he played it emotional and straight from the heart.

Van Morrison’s Moondance was the perfect followup. Fornatale and Cutrell provided swanky backup and De Marco’s voice had just the right amount of effervescence for this song. The three together offered an interesting blend of harmonies, while Kojak was particularly wonderful on the keys as he improvised a jazzy interlude.

Citing Neil Sedaka as a childhood favorite and major musical influence, De Marco makes sure to include one of his songs in all his shows. This time around he paid homage to the songwriter with Should Have Never Let You Go . De Marco’s version was simply lovely, exuding nice tension and honesty through his smooth vocals. The musicians added a lush, soft lilt, with prominent bass.

Jackie Fornatale woke everyone up with her plucky version of Stevie Wonder’ ;s Signed, Sealed, Delivered . Her slinky delivery and solid voice were delectable, and she tried her hand at a few bold “Woohoos!” for good measure. One suspects that her voice would really glow through a solo ballad..

Of particular interest was an unusual half-time arrangement of Lou Rawl’s You’ll Never Find. It was deliberate and slow, with smooth, samba rhythms, and De Marco’s silky delivery was thoughtful. Fornatale and Cutrell created some terrific background harmonies. Unfortunately Cutrell’s solo backup was slightly too high for this adaptation and the resulting doo-wop atmosphere didn’t suit the song’s style.

De Marco jumped back to the old jazz standards with A Kiss to Build A Dream On. Here he really looked like was enjoying himself up there. His fluid voice made it seem so easy.

Breaking out an adorable pair of maracas and a set of sticks, the three singers took the audience to the tropical islands with Betltran & Giubled’s Sway . The snappy island tune was the perfect opportunity for De Marco to belt out some strong notes with lots of gusto. Fornatale and Cutrell were cute as they sashayed around the stage with their rhythm instruments.

The next song was tailor-made for De Marco. The BeeGees’ How Do You Mend A Broken Heart was the perfect vehicle for his voice. He’s best with ballads, and in this song his vocals evoked lots of rich emotion and subtlety.

Cutrell got the room shaking with his rousing cover of Queen’s Crazy Little Thing Called Love. His strong voice was much better suited for this song with animated delivery and inflections from dramatic whispers to sturdy notes. Normally a song like this is well-suited for a lower voice, but Cutrell worked it and made it his own. Daryl Kojak spiced things up with wild fingering on the piano.

De Marco claims that I’ll String Along With You by Dubin & Warren is consistently the most requested song in his repertoire. His polished performance turned this traditional jazz melody into a romantic and alluring serenade to his angel. The musicians turned out a classic jazz sound and there was a customary but splendid piano break by Kojak.

Next up was the contemporary pop tune Let’s Give Them Something to Talk About made famous by Bonnie Raitt. This was a departure from De Marco’s usual choices, and while it probably didn’t showcase his voice as well as the ballads, he certainly seemed to have lots of fun with it. His effervescence was infectious and the backups by Fornatale and Cutrell were delightful.

When De Marco ran into the composer and longtime friend Jerry Herman a few years ago, he asked if he could change the lyrics of I Won’t Send Roses to suit his own tastes. “Sure,” said Herman, “ as long as I’m not there!” And so De Marco graced the room with his rendition of that famous ballad from Mack and Mabel, crooning, “White roses suit me so,” and lovingly pointing to the bouquet that adorned the piano. Naturally he flowed into Time Heals Everything , which was equally wonderful. His voice resonated with longing and bittersweet regret throughout this timeless medley. De Marco decided to close his show on a positive note with This Time Around.

The gentle strength in his voice and the diverse array of songs made for a pleasurable evening that was, overall, a sheer delight.