Truth be told, King could set her concert in a milking parlor (that's not country talk for a fancy family room for nursing moms) and I'd still be in the front row transfixed by this pint-sized dynamo whom I steadfastly refuse to believe is 60+. Turns out King's decision to replicate the homey feel of her intimate gigs and fundraisers for her latest concerts was pitch perfect.

When she cozies up to the grand piano, switches on the living room lamp, adjusts the shade and says in that trademark smoky voice "Welcome to my living room," it not only LOOKS right, it FEELS right. The set's warmth and familiarity is reflected in her performance: casual and inviting, but never once throughout the hour and a half show, is it at the expense of showmanship or musicianship. King is THE musical hostess with the mostess; the Martha Stewart of the music world: elegant+ flawless=a very good thing indeed.

When she announces, "I'm 63, and there are so many songs by me" the crowd---welcome guests in her "living room"----agrees with a grateful, raucous wave of applause.

Ditto the response to "You gotta get up every morning with a smile on your face". The advice in that song (Where You Lead I Will Follow) is believable---and you don't just believe that she plants one of those grins on her own face, she actually makes you believe YOU should do or could do the same.

With each song, each bit of easy banter, King reveals herself as every neighborhood's favorite mom, the one that always knew exactly when you could use a strong yet gentle arm around your shoulders as you blew the steam off your soothing your cup of cocoa. By the time she finishes "Beautiful", you really do believe you are, if not quite beautiful, then at the very least, not quite ugly.

Then, by way of intro to "Say Goodbye Today" she makes an admission that most of today's artists wouldn't dare utter about anything they'd penned, let alone recorded: "It's schmaltzy. But we love schmaltzy. It has a place in our lives."

That refreshing candor is also shared by her living room "visitors", Gary Burr and Rudy Guess. The duets with Burr especially, serve up a dramatic (without being over-the-top) rich, borderline haunting version of "Nobody Wants to Be Lonely". With King on the piano and Burns on acoustic, this piece manages to come across like a show-stopping, stand-out melding of both Burr's and King's voices, yet somehow without ever taking away from the notion that this is indeed King's show.

That's followed by all three on guitar for "Love's been a little bit hard on me." Rowdy? Hell, this is a blast that's heart-felt and heart�stomping (like heart-STOPping but less tragic). This is the kind of evening you'd expect from a Kitchen Party in Canada's renowned-for-downhome-hospitality east coast, minus the traditional Screeching-in Ceremony (for folks from away, well, look it up or ask a Canuck).

There's plenty to sing and stomp about here, but there's also a few surprises interwoven throughout the evening, such as a genuinely witty bit about how King broke into the biz, complete with her lyrical contributions (with now ex-husband Gerry Goffin) to Gene Pitney's career, and backgrounding on hits like "Go Away Little Girl", and even a timeless, throaty slice of "Hey Girl" and "One Fine Day."

King is so good, she even attracts musically talented fans, as evidenced by the collaborative effort on "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow"---possibly the most moving audience/artist live collaboration live in history. Perhaps as a reward to those same talented fans, one of the DVD's fun "special features" includes Songwriting 101, wherein fans get a sneak peak at that mysterious creative "process."

If you've managed to sit along in King's living room without absent-mindedly grabbing for a couch throw to cover your goosebumps, brace yourself for her encore of "Far Away". This special dedication to the troops made the hair on the back of my neck stand at attention---and I'm not even American!