A busy show: often lacking in subtlety, but buoyed by phenomenal talent

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Respect: The Aretha Franklin Songbook combines the music of the greatest female vocalist of all time with a gospel choir, orchestra, and line-up of vocalists of an incredibly impressive standard. In advance of a UK-wide tour later this year, the production finished its initial stint last night in West London’s Eventim Apollo.

Producers Key Entertainment have done a formidable job in facilitating this. That being said, future iterations would benefit from a more finessed approach. While the Urban Soul Orchestra, London Community Gospel Choir (LCGC), backing vocalists and lead singers performed with vigour, the venue’s sound was overamplified to the detriment of balance and nuance. This occasionally rendered the excellent LCGC as a more decorative element.

The framing of the event also felt misguided. Narrating between the performances, Pastor Mensah Bediako managed to say frustratingly little about Ms Franklin – speaking in metaphor and platitudes rather than providing historical or biographical insight. Any attempt at commentary would have felt more natural from the performers themselves, all of whom expressed their admiration for the late Queen of Soul. Following no particular chronology or order, the setlist was very reasonable, hitting fan-favourites as well as some unexpected cuts (‘Brand New Me’, ‘God Bless the Child’, ‘You Send Me’). Perhaps the set should have given more weight to the sweetness and tenderness of Ms Franklin’s discography, epitomised by songs such as ‘Day Dreaming’ and ‘Sparkle’. With such a powerful choir and orchestra, the tendency was often to shoot for the bombast.

The line-up of singers was the key attraction of the night. Cleopatra Higgins – alumnus of The Voice UK – begun the evening with a confident rendition of ‘Think’ (from Ms Franklin’s 1968 album Aretha Now). Higgins was given noticeable presence in the second set with a 1-2-3 punch of ‘Something He Can Feel’, ‘Who’s Zooming Who’, and ‘I Knew You Were Waiting For Me’ (performed with James of the LCGC). Perhaps the most natural performer of the group – often strutting around the stage in her gorgeous figure-hugging gowns – her charisma compensated for some haywire vocals.

If not the most flashy of vocalists, soul/house singer-songwriter Jaki Graham offered strong, controlled performances of songs such as ‘Do Right Woman, Do Right Man’ and ‘Son of a Preacher Man’.

Mica Paris, one of Britain’s finest vocalists, was next up. Her voice – a winning combination of grit, range, depth and mystique – was the most obviously suited to Ms Franklin’s repertoire. She offered an unexpected take on ‘Brand New Me’, a tune originally recorded by Dusty Springfield, which Paris coloured with jazz scats. In the second set, she commanded a spirited rendition of ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’.

Back in London after her Olivier Award-winning stint in Dreamgirls, Amber Riley brought consummate professionalism to the stage. Of all the performers, she mastered the balance of interpreting a lyric with subtlety while still allowing her voice to soar. Her first performance of ‘I Never Loved a Man’ – Ms Franklin’s breakout single in 1967 after signing to Atlantic Records – was peppered with exciting vocal flourishes, all complementary to the pain and dejection of the lyric. The clear standout performance of evening was Riley’s rendering of ‘Ain’t No Way’, the ballad written by Ms Franklin’s sister Carolyn. With the LCGC behind her, Riley navigated the scarily high bridge with ease.

The group numbers (‘A Natural Woman’, ‘Sisters are Doing it for Themselves’, and ‘Respect’) did descend into somewhat of a melismatic maelstrom. Kudos to Riley for coordinating with her fellow singers and keeping things in order. With a bit of refining, Respect has the potential to be the event for the soul music enthusiast.

(Image copyright: Key Entertainment)