‘Particularly when [Martha High] sinks her teeth into a song, one can imagine a 1960s soul songstress in her heyday.’

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Martha High sang backing vocals for the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, for thirty years. And she has kept herself in remarkable shape since. The strength and power of her instrument – a traditional and clear soul voice – belies her 70+ years of age. Particularly when she sinks her teeth into a song, one can imagine a 1960s soul songstress in her heyday.

Last night, backed by popular demand, she performed at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club with her band, the Soul Cookers, for the first show of a two-night residency.

Beginning with The JB’s ‘Doing It To Death’, High honoured her days with James Brown. She powered through ‘Cold Sweat’, replacing Brown’s screaming howl with her growl-flecked belt. Leonardo Corradi, the standout instrumentalist of the evening, infused the energy of the church into the set with his command of the organ.

After delivering shtick about her high-school days when girls would play coy as men in Cadillacs drove past, High pulled out William DeVaughan’s ‘Be Thankful For What You Got’ – reminding many members of the audience of this silky groove and comforting message. ‘You may not have a car at all / But remember brothers and sisters / You can still stand tall.’  

High’s original material provided some of the most rousing performances. ‘You Need a Woman Like Me’, from the 2009 album It’s High Time, saw High extolling her womanhood and sex appeal, delivering each repetition of the song’s title with greater force and vocal firepower.

Perhaps the set was missing that extra hint of danger and unbridled emotion. I left feeling satisfied but not enthralled. In particular, the ballads of the set lacked the same conviction of the high-octane numbers. The arrangement for ‘Don’t Go To Strangers’ lacked delicacy, while High’s take on ‘Canadian Sunset’ felt too brisk. However, she interpreted Rachelle Ferrell’s ‘Sista’, an R&B/jazz jam, as a contemplative soul ballad which gave more resonance to the feminist lyric.

The full band:
Martha High – Vocals
Eric Wakenius – Guitar
Leonardo Corradi – B3 Organ
Tony Match – Drums

(Image taken from Ronnie Scott’s website)