Written by Clyde Otis, ‘This Bitter Earth’ was hit for rhythm-and-blues icon Dinah Washington in 1960. The string-laden arrangement, with Otis’ sombre lyrics, carries pangs of melancholy. Washington’s commanding delivery […]
An exhilarating tribute to Nina Simone commanded by Jules Buckley, with divine singing from Ledisi and Lisa Fischer – Nina Simone – dubbed the ‘High Priestess of Soul’ – remains an idol […]
A charged and soulful performance from a rising star – Introduced as an artist ‘making a lot of noise’ within international jazz, Judi Jackson sauntered to the stage at Ronnie […]
The previous release by Gideon King and City Blog, ‘Audience of One’, was a strikingly ‘introspective meditation on loneliness’. The same confessional storytelling is applied to the jazz collective’s most […]
The annual Meltdown event at the Southbank Centre allows a virtuosic musician to curate their own music festival. Previous curators have included Elvis Costello, David Bowie, and Patti Smith. This year, Nile Rodgers […]
If I had to predict the next soul artist to breakthrough into the mainstream, I would pick Kizzy Crawford. The bi-lingual Welsh singer-songwriter has a winning combination of ear-worm hooks, sweet […]
Championed by Playlist Manager Sepideh Cole, ‘Unsigned Sessions’ at Pizza Express Live, High Holborn showcase a diverse, eclectic roster of talent. With usually four acts taking to the stage each […]
Toeman’s raw vocals shine on this slice of romantic soul – Danny Toeman – King of North London Soul – can spit fire during a live set. His two sold-out […]
Sharon D Clarke sings the blues with immense feeling – Last performed at the Hackney Empire in 2014, Susie McKenna‘s production of Blues In the Night is currently running at […]
Sensitive and thrilling readings from Burt Bacharach’s iconic songbook – Last night in the Eventim Apollo, some of history’s finest pop music was performed. Instantly hummable but with deceptive complexity, […]
A moving and emotional piece, anchored by its gospel-infused score – There is a contemporary relevance and urgency to The Color Purple which makes the musical a fine choice for the […]
‘…One of the finest male voices in contemporary soul’ – I first stumbled across Jamison Ross during an impromptu visit to Nell’s Jazz and Blues in West Kensington four years […]
‘However evocative of the early noughties, David’s performances underscored his deft skill as a songwriter…’ – Craig David’s impromptu appearance on ITV2’s hit show Love Island last week baffled audiences. Kew […]
Having reviewed Stevie Wonder at the BST Hyde Park Festival a few days prior, Kew the Music was an interesting change of pace for this writer. Perhaps think of Kew the […]