Hello Terri Baker, backed by a group of four talented young instrumentalists, put on a tuneful, terrific show at Perrysburg’s Ramada Inn. It’s worth the trip way down south to Perrysburg even for those living in the far reach of West Toledo. Miss Baker packs a lot of punch in her songs, with a distinctive style and a considerable range, both vocally and in the choice of material. She’s fun to listen to and it’s not the least bit painful to look at Terri either. It’s a little difficult to classify her style, because the entertainer can do so many things so well. Her voice has been compared to Tammy Grimes, which it does resemble when she belts out such songs as the torchy ”

“Maybe this time”, then she does “The Way We Were” and Barbra Streisand springs to mind. But she’s a vocalist, not an impersonator, and her style is distinctively her won. Miss Baker’s versatility is demonstrated both in the selection of songs and the manner n, which she delivers them. During her show the other night, her material ranged from the “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” which goes back to the early days of World War II and is derived from jazz music of the 1930s, to “You Light Up My Life, ” currently at the top of the charts.

You might say Miss Baker’s act is a bit like the weather in Toledo – if you don’t like what’s on just now, wait a few minutes and it’ll change. One of her best numbers is a medley of the blues, built around that old standard, “The Birth Of The Blues”. For this segment, she sings in a gutsy, raspy style, which fits the material perfectly.

She has a jazzy, fast arrangement of “When You’re Smiling,” which she blends into other pop favorites; such as There’ll Be Some Changes Made.

Her “You Made Me Love You” is strong and tender, a difficult combination which she makes look easy. Se is equally at home with romantic ballads and shouting blues, and is not above a little soft rock.

Miss Baker’s solid musicianship can be traced back to her early training, when she invested eight years in operatic study. While that may not have paid off in an operatic career, it gives her a control and power unusual in a pop singer.