Carroll Thompson gave another brilliant performance to the delight of her fans at Pizza Express.

My wife and I only discovered Carroll Thompson’s music four years ago.  We now regularly go to see her perform because she has many wonderful qualities. She generates a feel good factor at her gigs. At Holborn, she told us (the audience) to leave our problems at the door and enjoy ourselves. She has a very warm stage persona and engages well with her audience making us all feel special. She has a beautiful voice and writes many of the songs that she sings.

She performed two sets and most of the songs were from the Lovers Rock genre. She sang most of her audience’s favourites like ‘I’m So Sorry’, ‘Hooked On You’ and ‘Hopelessly in Love’ together with covers of Diana Ross, Irma Franklin and Phyllis Dillon songs. The covers were as good , if not better than the originals. She sang two newly written songs, which demonstrated that she is still a prolific song-writer. On an evening full of upbeat feel good music ‘Night Train’ one of the new songs, written about losing those close to you, was particularly poignant.

The audience were superb. Whenever we see Carroll perform, her audiences are always in fine voice. I cannot think of anybody else on the small venue circuit whose audiences know all the words to the songs and need little encouragement from the stage to join in.

Any music lover who has never seen Carroll perform should go and see her. She will not disappoint you.

Tony Lindsay gave a magnificent performance to the delight of his Pizza Express audience.
My wife and I took our seats without knowing any of Tony Lindsay’s music. The fact that he had sung with Santana for twenty-five years indicated that he ought to have a great voice. From the moment he took to the stage, we had a special feeling. His voice was superb and he exuded warmth from the stage.
The songs were taken from Tony’s albums, His debut album, the follow up ‘Something Beautiful’ and an album of Jazz Classics. However, the night was made even more special by Tony himself. He interacted wonderfully with his audience. During the interval, he shook everybody’s hand to say thank you for coming. He sold and signed albums and he happily poised for photos.
The music was fantastic; all of his own songs were very good with ‘In my Shoes and ‘It’s for the Love ‘ being my personal favourites. There was a classic cover of George Gershwin’s ‘Summertime’, a great version of Santana’s ‘Black Magic Woman’. During excellent covers of Marvin Gaye’s ‘What’s Going On’ and Bill Withers ‘Use Me’ there were clever pieces of improvisation.
Tony’s band were strong featuring Eamonn Flynn, a fellow resident of L.A., on piano and four British session musicians, Tom Gledhill, Marcus McNeish, Kieran Guy and John McKillup
This was a memorable performance which was Tony’s first ever solo gig in the UK. One hopes he will return and hopefully draw a bigger audience in a larger venue. His talent deserves a big stage.

Bruce Mississippi Johnson gave an outstanding performance to the delight of his audience at the 606 Club.

My wife and I knew very little about Bruce when we took our seats for his show and during the evening we knew none of the songs that he sang. Despite being unfamiliar with the music we had an enjoyable evening.

Bruce played two sets featuring songs from his debut album ‘The Deal Baby’, some new material and some of the songs by artists he admired such as Freddie King, Johnny Guitar Watson and Gil Scott Heron. His songs were mainly blues based with some funk and soul. He has a rich toned voice, which is in the lower baritone register.

We gained an insight into Bruce’s life. He told stories about growing up in Mississippi, his time in the Marines, serving in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) where he started singing, living in Paris and now London.

He was supported by an excellent band including Carl Hudson (keyboards), Pat West and Dan Smith (guitars), Carl Stanbridge (bass), Pete Eckford (percussion) and Russ Parker (drums) together with a sax player and trumpeter.

There were many vocal highlights including his own ‘You Been Working Mojo’ and ‘ I’m Gonna Bring Your Game Down’ and Gil Scott Heron’s ‘Home Is Where The Hatred Is.

This was a highly enjoyable night of music. I would recommend Bruce to anybody who enjoys the Blues and funky music.

 

Nate Simpson gave an outstanding vocal performance to the delight of his Pizza Express audience.
My wife and I went to see Nate knowing very little about him or his music. As a result our expectations were not high, we were pleasantly surprised to find that Nate has a wonderful voice, a charismatic personality and gave a memorable performance.
Nate opened the show with the upbeat Motown classic ‘Ain’t That Peculiar’ which was made famous by Marvin Gaye. Throughout the evening, Nate sang songs which have influenced him to become the performer he is.
In the first set there were many highlights. These included two breath-taking versions of Marvin Gaye / Tammi Terrell duets ‘Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing’ and ‘You’re All I Need ‘ sung with Natalie Kassanga (who starred in Motown The Musical, in the West End) with help from backing vocalist Sara. There was a wonderful version of John Lennon’s ‘Jealous Guy’ performed with the fantastic Michael Duke whose voice has an amazing range and beautiful tone. There were also great versions of Donny Hathaway’s ‘For All We Know’ and P J Morton’s ‘Sticking To my Guns’.
The second set continued where the first set left off with more superb performances. The stand out song of the night for me was a stunning, heartfelt version of Sam Cooke’s ‘A Change Is Gonna Come’. which showcased Nate’s vocal ability. Other outstanding performances were Elton John’s ‘Benny And The Jets’ and Stevie Wonder’s ‘Superstition’.
The show ended with Nate being joined on stage with all of his guests (Michael Duke, Natalie Kassanga and Anelisa Lamola) and several members of the cast of Motown The Musical who were in the audience. They all sang Michael Jackson’s ‘Rock With You’.
This was a highly enjoyable evening and we will certainly be seeing Nate perform again when the opportunity arises.

 

Michelle John gave an outstanding vocal performance that delighted her Pizza Express audience.

Few singers would have the courage to take on songs made famous by Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Celine Dion, Tina Turner, Mariah Carey, Chaka Khan and Shirley Bassey in a single performance and very few would have been as successful as Michelle. The songs gave her an opportunity to demonstrate the power, range and control of her magnificent voice.

The show started with ‘Diamonds Are Forever’ and was followed by a medley of Aretha songs including ‘I Say A Little Prayer’ and ‘Natural Woman’. All the songs Michelle sang were superbly delivered. My favourites were Mariah’s ‘Anytime You Need A Friend’, Whitney’s ‘I Will Always Love You’ (during which she hit the high notes with ease) and Celine’s ‘Because You Loved Me ‘ (which Michelle used as a song for Jesus, proudly showing her faith).

During the second set Michelle sang two of her own songs ‘Raising A Man’ and ‘Priceless’ which were not out of place alongside the other better known songs.

Nearly all the audience got up to dance to the penultimate song Chaka Khan’s ‘Ain’t Nobody’ before she closed with Tina’s ‘Proud Mary’.

Throughout Michelle was superbly supported by her excellent band featuring guitar, keyboard, bass and drums.

Michelle has a voice that can be compared favourably with those of the Divas whose songs she sang. After twenty years of singing backing vocals she now excels as a solo performer. There are many very talented singers in the UK but I cannot think of any who has a better voice than Michelle.

It was a pleasure to see James & Black a male/female vocal duo perform.
My wife and I have seen over six hundred gigs together over ten years; this was only the second male/vocal duo we have seen and the first since BeBe and CeCe Winans in 2010. This is not through choice but because there seem to be very few such duos around.
We had not heard of James & Black before we booked, nor had we heard any of their music, so this was gamble and one we did not regret.
Bruce James and Bella Black come from Austin, Texas. They are currently touring small venues in the UK. They have named their music ‘Guerrilla Soul’ which is influenced by the soul sounds of Texas, New Orleans and Texas. Most of their songs are self-penned and are underpinned with a funky beat.
Unsurprisingly, the songs that I liked best were covers of songs I was familiar with; but their own songs are of good quality but are the type of songs that require a few listens to fully appreciate the lyrics and melodies.
Bruce and Bella both took the lead on some of the songs and their voices blended well. Bruce is also a highly competent pianist and they were supported by Sam Kelly on drums and Andy Hodge on Bass.
My favourite songs of the night were The Beatles ‘Carry That Weight’ and the cover of an Alan Toussaint song. ‘Prefer It Black And White was my favourite of Barry and Bella’s original songs (there was something special about it that captivated me), followed by ‘Jonah’
Rarely do US acts play venues outside of the big cities, if they come to a venue close to you; they deserve support and are worth a listen.

 

Tommy Blaize gave an outstanding performance to the delight of his packed Pizza Express audience.
My wife and I first saw Tommy Blaize when he was on stage at Ronnie Scotts performing a duet with Madeline Bell in January 2011. He made such an impression that we have watched him regularly at the 606 Club and Hideaway ever since. In the past he has appeared with Dave Arch and his band; this was the first time we had seen him perform with his own trio.
Tommy is a charismatic Liverpudlian with a beautiful voice. He showed that he is also a highly competent pianist too. I grew up in an era when Merseybeat was predominant. I find the Liverpudlian singing voice a reminder of my younger years.
The show started with a cover of Bobby Hebb’s ‘Sunny’, a hit in the 60’s and followed it with Jackie Wilson’s ‘I Get The Sweetest Feeling’ from the same era. This set the tone for the evening with songs from the 1930’s onwards. Tommy told stories about the songs and their influence on him. The highlight of the first set was Tommy’s very different version of Smokey Robinson and Ronny White’s ‘My Girl’ (recorded first by The Temptations) which is on his latest album ‘Life and Soul’ and to which he has added a very distinctive piano arrangement.
The second set was of the same high standard as the first with my highlights being versions of Marvin Gaye’s ‘What’s Going On’ and India Arie’s ‘Brown Skin’ (which may have been the only song of the night first released in the twenty first century).
The show closed with an encore of Carole King’s ‘You Got A Friend’ on which for the first time the audience responded well to Tommy’s request to sing along.
Tommy sang superbly and I thought deserved a louder response from his Maidstone audience, not for the first time I felt that the audience here was more reserved than its London equivalents.

The London Soul Choir delighted their audience with the Soul Legends Show.
My wife and I enjoy Soul and Gospel music too, so a combination of the two was irresistible. The London Soul Choir did not let us down. They gave an outstanding performance.

The Soul Legends show featured the songs of many soul legends and was anchored by the choir’s guests Adeola Shyllon and Harlano Weekes who told us about the legends and gave solo performances on occasions. Both Adeola and Harlano have excellent voices and sang well, but they did not overshadow the seventy plus members of the choir and the conductor who were magnificent. They were a very diverse group of different ethnicities and age groups who sang with one voice and who harmonised beautifully.

The Legends songs that were covered were made famous by: Luther Vandross, Marvin Gaye, Beyonce, The Isley Brothers, Michael Jackson, Paul Carrack, Incognito, Donna Summer, Stevie Wonder, Odyssey, Earth Wind and Fire, Aretha Franklin and Prince. As a big Incognito fan, I imagine that, founder and band member, Bluey would be delighted that his band were one of the soul legends.

It is difficult to single out individual songs, as they were all high quality, but in the Aretha Franklin segment the Choir sang ‘You’re All I Need’ which is one of my all-time favourite songs and Adeola and Harlano duetted brilliantly for a segment of this song, which evoked memories of the late Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. Beyonce’s ‘Halo’ was outstanding too.
Rarely has an hour passed so quickly! It was wonderful to see so many choir members singing with smiles on their faces obviously enjoying the occasion.

 

 

Wayne Hernandez produced another outstanding performance to the delight of his Hideaway audience.

My wife and I have seen Wayne perform live more times than we have seen any other performer. He is an outstanding singer, has a great rapport with his audiences and is a good song-writer. He typifies the talent performing at small auditoria and so often I believe that these artists have as much, if not more talent than many who perform in the larger stages.

As always Wayne surrounded himself with talented session musicians and outstanding vocalists. I did not catch the names of the trumpeter, the guitar player, the percussionist or the keyboard player but seen David Baptists (Saxophonist), Perry Melius (Drums) and Wayne Nunez (Bass) from several previous shows. Kemi Bramwell, Adenike Adenaike and Sharlene Hector provided the backing vocals. Kemi and Adenike sing with Wayne in the Kingdom Choir. Sharlene, who my wife and I have not seen for a long time, sang with Wayne, the very first time we saw him.

The first set, as always, featured slower songs (three of which feature in his album ‘Keep It Coming’). The highlights for me were the self-penned ‘Man Out Of Me’, which demonstrates the power and the emotion in his voice and his duet of ‘Beneath Your Beautiful’ with Sharlene which was the first time they had sung it. Wayne s duets are special; I have fine memories of many of them.

The second set was upbeat and had many of the audience on their feet dancing. The show closed with an encore of ‘You’ve Got A friend’ with the audience joining in on the chorus.

Wayne once again showed that he is one of the great small venue performers.

Stevie Wonder showed once again that he is one of music’s all-time greats.
Stevie Wonder is a special talent. I first saw Stevie perform in January 1974 at the long lost Rainbow Theatre. That gig is still one of my all-time favourites. I have seen him many times since; the previous two with my wife in Hyde Park and Clapham Common.
The show started with Stevie coming on stage with his backing singers with Earth, Wind and Fire’s ‘September ‘ playing. His first song was ‘As If You Read My Mind’ which was followed by ‘Master Blaster (Jammin’)’ which led into Bob Marley’s ‘Jammin’. Already Stevie had the audience entranced with his music. As the show progressed he welcomed first Daly then Corrine Bailey-Rae (who I thought was the pick of the support acts) to sing duets with him.
There was a period of reflection as a DJ played songs by Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson, Prince, David Bowie, Amy Winehouse and Aretha Franklin to remind us all of the talent lost to our world.
After this Stevie sang some more of his greatest songs ‘Sir Duke’, ‘I Wish’, ‘Livin’ In The City’, ‘My Cherie Amor’ and ‘You Are The Sunshine Of My Life ‘. He then got the whole audience to sing John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ which he told us to keep singing until it was no longer relevant in our world.
Stevie then closed with three more of his blockbusters ‘I Just Called To Say I Love You’, ‘Do I Do’ and ‘Superstition ‘.
Stevie announced that he would perform three more shows before taking a break to have a kidney transplant, but he would be back.
Once again Stevie demonstrated that he is one of the world’s greatest ever musicians, song-writers and performers; I wish him well.