Tina Turner’s Forgotten Solo Years
A reissued collection by Rhino spotlights Tina Turner’s solo work prior to her 1980s heyday. Had Tina Turner’s triumphant “comeback” of the 1980s never happened, she would still stand tall […]
Jules Buckley’s Aretha, featuring Sheléa
This festive offering at the Royal Albert Hall was not Jules Buckley‘s first foray into Aretha Franklin’s catalogue. The brilliant arranger and conductor, known for his work with the Metropole […]
Imelda May at Royal Festival Hall (Review)
Irish singer-songwriter Imelda May admitted feeling perplexed by the invitation to headline the EFG London Jazz Festival. After all, she isn’t currently touring or promoting new material – though she […]
Rumer at Southbank Centre (Review)
Talk about sounding like the record, British blue-eyed soul artist Rumer gave a knockout performance at the Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall without breaking a sweat. There are plenty of […]
Nina Kristofferson at The Pheasantry (Review)
Nina Kristofferson has a thriving cabaret career with long-running tributes to Nina Simone and Billie Holliday often selling out venues like The Pheasantry. For her EFG London Jazz Festival showing […]
Zara McFarlane at the Jazz Café (Review)
British jazz artist Zara McFarlane unveiled her album Sweet Whispers – an homage to Sarah Vaughan – at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club earlier this year. I was admittedly curious how the same show would […]
Jazz Voice 2024 (Review)
You can’t fault Jazz Voice for its eclecticism. This annual gala, inaugurating each iteration of the EFG London Jazz Festival, serves up an ensemble of soloists often with varying degrees […]
GeminiCrab – ‘A Love That Will Last’ (Review)
GeminiCrab is the newly formed partnership between Montreal-based, Guadeloupean singer-songwriter Malika Tirolien and keyboardist and producer Caulder Nash. Their debut single ‘A Love That Will Last’, co-written by Tirolien and […]
Beverley Knight at Royal Albert Hall (Review)
Watching Beverley Knight perform does feel like you’re watching an all-time great. Her voice, brimming with soul but steely in its attack and precision, is one of the finest to […]
A Night with Janis Joplin (Review)
Bio-musicals live or die based on the strength of their central performance. Adrienne Warren as Tina Turner, Katie Brayben as Carole King, and Stephanie J Block as Cher all powered […]
Joss Stone – ‘Loving You’ (Review)
This new release from Joss Stone is not a cover of the similarly titled Minnie Riperton tune. However, it does share some of the luxurious sensuality of Riperton’s material. Stone’s […]
Sam Smith at BBC Proms (Review)
Sam Smith makes a captivating, stylistically diverse Proms debut It was always a childhood dream of singer Sam Smith to perform at the Royal Albert Hall. Yet the announcement of […]
Sarah Vaughan Proms (Review)
Monikered ‘the Divine One’, Sarah Vaughan possessed a vocal splendour of a kind so rich and inimitable. Following an excellent run of tributes in recent years to Nina Simone, Aretha […]
Disco at the BBC Proms (Review)
Last year, the BBC Proms paid homage to the ‘Northern Soul’ movement with a stunningly popular concert that has found new life touring the UK. While ‘Northern Soul’ was, at […]