Combustible energy from Ms Walker. 

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Last night, British soul/R&B artist Terri Walker closed the EFG London Jazz Festival with a performance at Hideaway.

Born in London to Jamaican parents, Walker released her debut album Untitled in 2003 which garnered four MOBO award nominations. On the album’s title she said: ‘That’s how I want people to see my work. I want them to judge for themselves and make up their own minds.’ Fast-forward to 2015, Walker names her fourth studio album Entitled. She explained to the audience last night that she felt confident now in who she was musically and artistically.

Equipped with a full band and three backing vocalists (dubbed ‘The Walkettes’ for the night), Walker sashayed onto the stage with a rendition of ‘This is My Time’ from her sophomore L.O.V.E (2005). Her energy was combustible, radiating adrenaline into the audience. To compliment her lyrics of self-empowerment, she spliced in the gospel song ‘This Little Light of Mine’.

In addition to her powerful pipes, her energy is her greatest asset. She bantered with the audience at a lightning pace, explaining her trials and tribulations with men. Thankfully she has been able to translate these into catchy neo-soul/hip-hop hooks, often with a current of pop/rock. Admittedly, the (very good) band was sometimes amped up to the detriment of nuance, but Walker has the volume and presence to carry the headiness. ‘Already Told Ya’, from Entitled, was an explosion of utter fury – with the band at full volume and Walker mock-throwing her mic stand into the audience before turning her final note into a scream of frustration. From the same album, ‘Bad Boy’, a pointed and deceptively smart attack on toxic masculinity, was the highlight of the evening – especially with the genius sample of Bob Marley and the Wailer’s ‘I Shot the Sheriff’.

Perhaps the energy could have been tempered occasionally. Indeed, the night would have benefitted from stripping back the band at times and allowing Walker to show more vocal finesse. However, she did demonstrate welcome restraint in the second set with her new song ‘Missing You’ and a very passionate rendition of Aretha Franklin’s ‘Day Dreaming’.

The Full Band

Alex Robinson – Bass
Nick Williams – Drums
Dan Heery – Guitar
Ainsley Johns – Keys
Alison Fagan – Backing Vocals
Atlantis Fagan – Backing Vocals
Alison Grant – Backing Vocals

(Image taken from Hideaway Facebook page).