This was a gig to remember with the first set of the show being the best Gospel Blues set that I have seen, the standard dropped slightly in the second set but overall it was on a par with the best.
The singers for this show were Daniel Thomas, Beverley Skeete and Faye Simpson accompanied by the band consisting of Jason Thompson (keyboard and musical director), John Jackson (drums), Kenny Barry (guitar) and Clint Williams (Bass).
Faye kicked things off with a stunning version of ‘Oh Happy Day’ which featured lots of audience participation and felt more like a closing song than the opener. In baseball parlance Faye knocked the song out of the park. The question was how could that be followed? The answer came from Daniel with a great version of ‘Go Down Moses’ followed by Beverley’s cover of the Staples ‘People Get Ready’ which I felt was even better than her version at the Pheasantry in October. The level was maintained by Faye with ‘You Got a Friend’, Daniel’s take of ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’ and Beverley with a great version of ‘I Put a Spell On You’. The set closed with Faye singing ‘Let’s Stay Together’ and Daniel with a rousing ‘Going Up Yonder’. I find it hard to believe that the set could have been bettered.
I thought that the second set, although it was good, did not reach the level and intensity of the first set. There were however a couple of highlights, firstly Beverley singing ‘Tears From Heaven’ a song she dedicated to her brother who was killed in Kenya when serving with the SAS and all those who lost their lives serving their countries. It was a very emotional performance that took courage to perform and deserved its standing ovation. Faye immediately followed that song with a great version of ‘Shackles’.
Overall it was another Gospel Blue success. Once again the ability of all three singers to improvise just added to the overall experience. The audience gave the performers a deserved rousing send off.
Johns London Music Reviews 