‘…Haynes has an innate soulfulness’

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A lead vocalist with acid jazzers Incognito, Vanessa Haynes has a fanbase across the UK and Europe among soul, funk, and jazz enthusiasts. She recently performed at the BBC Proms  – celebrating the sounds of 1969 with material from Joni Mitchell, Burt Bacharach, and The Beatles, alongside fellow Incognito member and soul singer Tony Momrelle.

Performing last Wednesday at The Pheasantry (part of the Pizza Express Live brand), Haynes paid homage to the late Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin. Calling out the sheer volume of Franklin’s repertoire, Haynes professed her desire to include as much material as possible. Indeed, this often meant speedy transitions between songs and little time for Haynes to engage the audience with any personal insight behind the curation of her set.

But the talent is undeniable. Hugging her body during ‘Something He Can Feel’, milking the dramatic tension of ‘Dr Feelgood’, and luxuriating in the sparse, sensual opening verse of ‘Spirit in the Dark’, Haynes has an innate soulfulness. The voice is formidable too – whether channelling Franklin’s abandon by scaling piercing but fulsome highs, or tossing casual adlibs at the end of particular phrases.

Though largely faithful to the original renditions, Haynes and her 10-piece band (including a few Incognito classmates) took liberties at her direction. Dusty Springfield’s ‘Son of a Preacher Man’ – which Franklin transformed into a roof-raising gospel number – closed the first act with thrilling band improvisations.

The second set begun with a string of piano-driven covers – ‘You’re All I Need to Get By’, ‘Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing’, and ‘Do Right Woman, Do Right Man’ – in a pleasant variation of tone before the band were re-introduced. A blues-rock take of ‘Chain of Fools’ and a passionate and committed ‘Ain’t No Way’ were highlights.

(Photography credit: Cees Van Toledo)