Soul-baring and confessional performances

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Tahirah Memory is a contemporary jazz singer-songwriter from Portland, Oregon. Having toured internationally as a backing vocalist for K.D Lang, Memory established herself as a solo artist with her debut album Pride (2015). She has a series of upcoming shows this June across the UK – sporting her latest release Asha (2019). Last night she played to a dedicated crowd at Pizza Express Live, High Holborn.

Backed by Jarrod Lawson (keys, backing vocals), Dylan Sundström (bass), and Richard Lawrence (drums), Memory exhibited her confessional songwriting to a series of sparse jazz arrangements. Though subtle – perhaps too subtle for some tastes – there is something compelling in the casual, almost conversational delivery.

Indeed, she was very honest about the deeply personal content of her music. She describes her style as ‘sadspirational’ – drawing upon emotional pain but with cathartic intent. Her lyrics touched upon failed relationships, the memory of her late father, and her overwhelming tendency to withdraw from others when experiencing hardship.

Sharing a story about her father’s passing while she was last touring in London, ‘Lovely Bones’ conveyed her sense of loss and confusion. With ‘Dust to Dust’, Memory expressed a frankness and sense of closure about her romantic endeavours –  ‘I’m alone / Only thing loyal is this skin.’ More thrust was provided with the soulful grooves of ‘Wait’, ‘Again’, and the bittersweet ‘Beautiful Disaster’. The latter, from Memory’s debut, had a particularly strong hook, which the audience were invited to sing along to. With sympathetic touch from her musicians, Memory’s vocal was effortless – mellow-toned with touches of slow vibrato at the end of her phrases.

Throughout, there was scintillating chemistry with pianist, backing vocalist, and solo artist in his own right Jarrod Lawson – who often provided beautiful backdrops to Ms Memory’s preambles. They joined together for a standout performance of ‘In Love With Love’, a piano-driven ballad lamenting that the idealised notion of romance rarely translates into reality. ‘I was in love with the idea of being in love.’

In a set largely sombre in tone, ‘Music’s in Everything’ – inspired by Memory’s father – added a welcome brightness and joy.

Check out Tahirah Memory’s other UK dates here

(Image taken from Tahira Memory’s Facebook page)