While she may not be a household name, Beverley Skeete has musical pedigree. Firstly, she sang for twenty years in Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings. Moreover, her repertoire as a backing vocalist includes names such as Tina Turner, Jocelyn Brown, Jimmy Cliff, and Jamiroquai. In recent years, she has been headlining her own shows.
Last night she performed two hour-long sets at The Pheasantry in Chelsea – a venue which can stand proudly alongside its counterparts under the Pizza Express Live umbrella as a fantastic space for live music. Joining Skeete were vocalists Daniel Thomas and Michelle John. They began their set with a rendition of The Impressions’ ‘People Get Ready’, with nuanced, precise harmonies – a testament to all their backing vocal experience.
The former director of the much-celebrated London Community Gospel Choir (LCGC), Daniel Thomas spearheads the Gospel Blues series at Pizza Express Live, High Holborn on alternating Sundays – a fantastic showcase of soulful voices. Though mentioning he had a cold, his performances of Dionne Warwick’s ‘So Amazing’ (written and later recorded by Luther Vandross) and Stevie Wonder’s ‘You Will Know’ were warm and textured. He would interject on the group numbers with his superb gospel squall.
The House That Soul Built reviewed Michelle John in August at the Hideaway in South London. Vocally, she remains nothing short of spectacular. Last night, John performed her original song, ‘If You Knew Me’, which spills with keys (played wonderfully by Adam Saudners) and jazz slink. ‘If you knew me you’d know / I live for today‘, she educates a lover with eloquent expression and phrasing. She followed with a rendition of Brenda Russell’s ‘Get Here’ (popularised by Oleta Adams), a track which she performed during her stint on ITV’s The Voice. The lyric of ‘cross the desert like an Arab man’ has always felt somewhat bizarre and Orientalist, but the blame for that lies with Russell. Brushing lightly in the verses, she navigated the song towards a swelling crescendo, chopping up the final stretch of the song with the band and giving it more urgency.
Skeete performed a bluesy re-arrangement of George Gershwin’s ‘Summertime’ as her first solo number of the evening, allowing the band to shine with instrumental solos. She sings with a distinct, throaty texture – capable of Tina Turner-style snarl but with flaky and delicate tones too. Skeete closed the first set with a moving, introspective self-penned piece titled ‘Lookin’ In The Mirror’ – reflecting on her sense of contentment and ambition as she reaches sixty years of age. The standout performance of the night was her interpretation of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ ‘I Put A Spell On You’ (covered also by Nina Simone). She truly inhabited the sinister and possessive lyric, wailing and gesticulating manically throughout. She closed the song by pointing at individual audience members with an almost menacing humour before hitting her final note and raising both hands with Streisand-esque theatricality.
The Excellent Full Band
Adam Saunders – Keys
Stefan Brown – Drums
Clint Williams – Bass
Emlyn Francis – Guitar
(Image taken from Beverley Skeete’s Facebook page)
