A fine set from some of the strongest musicians London has to offer.
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Live music late on a Sunday evening may not be ideal for most.
However, the small but enthusiastic audience at the 606 Club last Sunday was in the company of some of the London soul scene’s leading musicians. There was Dave Ital on guitar, a seemingly omnipresent musician who recently supported Beverley Knight at the London Palladium. Yolanda Charles, an astonishing bassist, joined him, as did the multi-talented Lex Cameron on keys, and Westley Joseph on drums. Daniel Thomas – choir director, gospel squaller, and vocal coach to seemingly everyone – completed the line-up.
Fronting them was London-born vocalist Mary Pearce – former member of D’Influence, session musician, and touring backing vocalist. It is easy to understand why Pearce has been called upon for backing vocal duties by so many industry professionals (Lionel Richie, Mica Paris, Chaka Khan etc.). Her vocal is powerful and always reliable.
She described herself as a ‘b-side gal’, preferring to dig out the more obscure releases than resort to guaranteed fan favourites. Indeed, the set list was pleasantly off-centre with cuts from Maze (‘Joy and Pain’), Tata Vega (‘Get It Up For Love’), and George Duke (‘Brazilian Love Affair’).
The order of affairs was seemingly improvised, and a slight criticism is that the set arguably began with its best number: a blazing rendition of Rufus and Chaka Khan’s ‘You Got The Love’. But subsequent performances did not stray far from that benchmark. Pearce followed with Maze’s glowing ‘Joy and Pain’. Her original song ‘Changes’, a moody soul-jazz midtempo, showed that she has songwriting prowess too.
Paying tribute to the recently deceased Nancy Wilson, Pearce delivered the one stripped down number of the evening with a controlled rendition of ‘Save Your Love for Me’. The set would have perhaps benefitted from a further two ballads to show Pearce’s capacity for nuance.
George Duke’s ‘Brazilian Love Affair’ had Yolanda Charles showcasing her intricate bass work. ‘Heffa can play,’ announced Pearce. On Michael Jackson’s ‘I Can’t Help It’ (written by Stevie Wonder), Pearce and the band added extra urgency by chopping up the final few choruses. Pearce and Thomas squared off, matching each other’s high belting. Their chemistry and coordination throughout conveyed their years of respective experience.
(Image taken from the 606 website).
