‘Capable of feathery inflections, John can also belt with vibrato-fuelled gloriousness, and wail and extemporise with gospel fervour.’

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Many members of the public may remember Michelle John from her stint on ITV’s The Voice in 2017. Under the coaching of will.i.am, John reached the finals of the competition. However, her musical career began long before The Voice, having delivered backing vocals for the likes of Eric Clapton, Annie Lennox, Chaka Khan, and Joss Stone. Last night, she made a return to South London music venue, Hideaway.

It was a night where one truly marvels over the power of the human voice. There is no hint of unevenness in any register of John’s vocals. Capable of feathery inflections, John can also belt with vibrato-fuelled gloriousness, and wail and extemporise with gospel fervour.

Opening number ‘Total Praise’, John’s way of acknowledging the role of God and the church in her life, managed to draw some audience members to their feet. I would challenge even the sternest of atheists not to be moved by John’s delivery. Touching the verses with light strokes, she gradually eased the brakes on that titanic voice of hers. By the climax, her jaw was trembling, the audience was hollering wildly, and John made it very clear that she had arrived.

Though very good on her stint on The Voice, last night’s performance put into perspective the limitations of a 2-minute performance slot on a rather unadventurous talent show. With free reign to produce and arrange with her band, John showcased her musical intuition and artistry. On Lauryn Hill’s neo-soul classic ‘Ex-Factor’, John injected a manic energy into the song’s climax, stomping with frustration, and ad-libbing a call-and-response segment with guitarist Emlyn Francis. Similarly, with Angie Stone’s ‘Wish I Didn’t Miss You’, John hunched herself against the piano, scatting, grunting, and squalling – pushing her voice to its limits in a way only gospel-trained vocalists can.

Though standing out mainly on her covers, her originals showed promise. The adult contemporary, smooth R&B/jazz track, ‘If You Knew Me’, has a maturity and sophistication. Despite an odd reference to ‘chicken dippers and curly fries’, ‘Raising a Man’ covered the struggles and challenges of being a single mother with gusto, whereas ‘Priceless’, a self-empowerment anthem stemming from a previous abusive relationship, has a marching beat that sounds radio-ready.

Aretha Franklin tributes will be an inevitable component of the soul music scene for the foreseeable future.  For her tribute, John called to the stage Bazil Meade, founder of the London Community Gospel Choir, neo-soul vocalist Hil St Soul, and gospel vocalist Esi Acquaah-Harrison for a medley of ‘I Say A Little Prayer’, ‘Until You Come Back To Me’, ‘(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman’, and ‘Think’. Check out our Tweet here for a glimpse of this wonderful musical spontaneity.

The setlist for the second act looked somewhat of a pick ‘n mix of iconic, high-energy diva numbers – the type which can only be executed successfully with complete abandon. Not only did John provide the requisite vocal firepower, she often sashayed along the stage, backed by searing band theatrics. On ‘Ain’t Nobody’, Jeremiah Olaleye jabbed with his bass, with a genius transition into Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’.

The full band:

Emelyn Francis – Guitar
Jeremiah Olaleye – Bass
Abe Hampton – Keys
Stefan Brown – Drums

(Image taken from Hideaway website)