Ruby Turner – Ronnie Scotts Soho 30/01/2019

Ruby Turner performed superbly at Ronnie Scott’s, once again showing that she is one of the best UK based singers, whatever the genre.
My wife and I first saw Ruby perform in 2009. We have been watching her regularly ever since. Any aspiring live performer should watch Ruby because she is one of the best in the business. She sounds good on record, but when she performs live she sounds so much better. A lot is spoken about artistes connecting with songs, Ruby does not connect with songs, she lives in those that she sings. When Ruby closed the first set with ‘Stay With Me Baby’, I suspect that everybody in the audience felt that she was personally pleading to them. If Ruby believes in a song she will make it sound fantastic, she is that good a performer.
Her band compliments her well. Nick Marland plays guitar and sings backing vocals, Paul Pryor on bass and backing vocals, Mark Walker the keyboard player and Simon Moore the drummer. Ruby takes centre stage with her powerhouse vocals.
The show featured regular favourites from Ruby’s early days: ‘In My Life’, ‘Breath I Take’ and ‘I’d Rather Go Blind’. The latter is her usual closer and for ten minutes she gives a singing masterclass. I have heard many sing this song but nobody extracts the raw emotion that Ruby does. I imagine any lover of music would be moved by her performance of this classic.
Two older songs were brought back in to the set ‘Stay With Me Baby’ and ‘This Train’, a traditional American gospel song made famous by Sister Rosetta Tharp and from Ruby’s 2009 album ‘I’m Travelling On’. This was her encore song during which her band were let loose and allowed to perform solos.
Ruby additionally featured songs from her last album ‘All That I Am’ including a song inspired by her Jamaican father ‘Master Plan’ and two songs from her recently released EP ‘That My Desire,’ which were written many years ago for a production in Bristol of ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’
This was the third of three consecutive sold out nights at Ronnie Scotts, there are another three scheduled for next week which are also sold out.
This was a great night and the audience applauded Ruby loudly as she left the stage, many on their feet.