POP MUSIC REVIEW : Betty’s Cabaret for the ‘90s

“We’re a band!” Amy Ziff insisted several times during the opening set by the New York trio Betty at Cafe Largo on Wednesday. Betty was making its local headlining debut on a wave of East Coast publicity emphasizing the idiosyncrasies of a group consisting of two white twins and one tall black woman.

The “band” description, however, turned out to be considerably less accurate. The combination of Alyson Palmer’s bass, Bitzi Ziff’s keyboards, Amy Ziff’s cello and a drum machine was not exactly the stuff that instrumental dreams are made of. Of the three, Palmer was the most convincing, but locking her bass playing into the accompaniment of a drum machine kept her boxed in a musical corner. Betty’s real musical strengths emerged when the drum machine was turned off and the trio dug into some beautifully harmonized a cappella numbers. Songs like “Mr. Amoeba Man” had both the musical substance and the eccentric characterizations of groups like the Bobs and the Edlos.

Equally impressive were individual comedic set pieces, as well as occasional semi-spontaneous exchanges between group members and the audience. (Amy pulled out a cat o’ nine tails at one point and threatened to punish a listener who was “an L-Alien with too much ‘tude.”)

Amy’s rap about prison-movie bad girls--particularly bizarre since her fuchsia outfit and upraised hairdo made her resemble a pink pineapple--was right on target, as was a send-up of train blues titled “Bettycoat Junction.”

Much as they seem to dislike the label, Betty actually is a kind of cabaret act for the ‘90s. Its attractive blend of loony humor, off-the-wall visuals and deceptively well-crafted singing brings new life to an old tradition. And that, one suspects, will create far more Bett-heads than will their work as a “band.”

Betty performs at Cafe Largo, 432 N. Fairfax Ave., (213) 852-1073, tonight at 8:30 p.m. and Saturday at 8:30 p.m. and midnight.