‘That high tenor – never sounding thin or strained – is pure gold’

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A sold-out, effusive crowd cheered Mr Tony Momrelle as he walked to the stage last night at Pizza Express Live, High Holborn. The former backing vocalist (Chaka Khan, Whitney Houston, Sade), Incognito lead singer, and solo artist is a true darling of British soul. In our recent interview with Queen of Underground Soul Sy Smith, she referred to Momrelle as a strong presence in the British soul scene, one of a few ‘bomb singers… [who] have been holding it down for years.‘

Last night marked Momrelle’s first solo concert since the launch of his latest album Best is Yet to Come, the first release from Momrelle’s own record label Vibe45. The album is refreshing in its organic production and the freedom which Momrelle allows for his voice. Interestingly, his manager turned to me in the interval remarking that Momrelle only recorded songs that he knew could translate equally well in a live set. This fact was immediately clear with energetic but balanced musicianship from the band – aided both by the venue’s sound system (one of the best in the scene) and Momrelle’s spot-on pitch.

Momrelle’s brand of confident, bright neo-soul was the perfect match for this intimate but still lively venue. Performing with Momrelle were the talented Christian Mendoza (guitar/backing vocals), Julian Crampton (bass), Emiliano Pari (keyboard/backing vocals), and Alessio Barelli (drums). Beginning with ‘Pick Me Up’ from his 2015 album Keep Pushing, Momrelle alternated between material from his new album and jams from previous releases. ‘It’s December but feels like June,’ sang Momrelle on new track ‘Sunshine’. On ‘You Got It’, another new song with a ’70s soul cadence, Momrelle, in true Stevie Wonder fashion, climbed his high tenor at the song’s climax. On ‘A Million Ways’ (Keep Pushing), Mendoza and Pari harmonised beautifully with Momrelle on the chorus in a version that bettered the original recording.

Striving, aspirational romance is central to many of Momrelle’s lyrics. But he also brings this sense of aspiration and encouragement to the everyday. In his preamble to the first ballad of the evening, Momrelle touched on the pressures which landed a colleague of his in hospital. He also referred to his own difficulties in touring, recording, and managing health complications simultaneously. These struggles spawned the title of the album and the song ‘Best is Yet to Come’, which Momrelle performed with shades of pathos but with an underlying resolve.

The most moving performance of the night was ‘Remember’, a piano-driven ballad from Keep Pushing championed by Jools Holland. Momrelle explained his reluctance to continue performing the song given the emotional investment required, but felt compelled to return it to his set at the behest of audience members. He was utterly present in the moment, eschewing his usual melismatic tendencies in favour of a straight delivery. The purity of his voice carried the conviction of the lyric. One can imagine Donny Hathaway, a known influence of Momrelle’s, delivering this song in his heyday.

Momrelle opened the second-set with fierce renditions of ‘Rising Up’ and ‘Two Minutes Forty’. He also paid homage to his idols Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye with performances of ‘Golden Lady’ (with a brief sample of ‘Isn’t She Lovely) and ‘What’s Going On’ (the Donny Hathaway version) respectively. An encore of ‘Spotlight’ and ‘Fly’ closed the set and again showed Momrelle’s vocal gifts. That high tenor – never sounding thin or strained – is pure gold.

To see Tony Momrelle’s future tour dates, check out his website here. 

(Image copyright: Tony Momrelle)