Music

Review: Women Sing The Blues

The Gov’s annual Deep South Festival kicked off on Friday night with a return of the highly popular Women Sing the Blues session. Three outstanding female performers, each doing a set of mixed music, with a blues back-bone.

2016_ds_1THE GOV  FRIDAY NOVEMBER 25TH

The Gov’s annual Deep South Festival kicked off on Friday night with a return of the highly popular Women Sing the Blues session.  Three outstanding female performers, each doing a set of mixed music, with a blues back-bone.

First up was Adelaide’s own Kelly Menhennett. This gamin bundle of energy opened her set with a passionate version of Alan Toussaint’s It’s Raining. Moving through another Toussaint and a couple of her own, wonderful songs, she then delivered an Albert E Brumley gospel number I’ll Fly Away. Menhennett has recently returned from a song-writing workshop where she and other composers (including Taasha Coates…see our recent interview!), finished some of Brumely’s incomplete songs. She then gave us another of her own numbers, Small Dreams, from the 2014 album of the same name, before belting out a couple of Rosetta Tharpe numbers, finished on a rousing rendition of This Train. Menhennett has a huge voice, and a stage presence to match. She is personable, warm and obviously hungry for the music. She oozes talent from every pore.

Second set of the night went to Sydneysider-turned-Adelaidian Gail Page. A stalwart of the Australian blues and soul scene, Page is a finely tuned vocal instrument, with plenty of belt. She can also put a jazz spin on a song, which makes her a complete delight to listen to. Some of her numbers included Big Mama Thornton’s hit I Smell a Rat, the standard I Put a Spell on You and a slightly more unusual choice: Graeme “Shirley” Strachan’s Every Little Bit Hurts. Page closed out her magic set with a big, soul number, Let Me Down Easy.

Completing this trio was Chris E Thomas, a singer with extraordinary power, pitch and stage presence. Backed by a band of top-drawer Adelaide musicians, Thomas opened up with the classic Spooky, managing to turn it into a powerhouse ballad. She then moved into The Beatles Oh! Darling, before doing some of her own numbers, including her unique spin on country. One of her early blues influences was Peter Green, so as a tribute to him, she delivered a flawless rendition of his version of I Need Your Love So Bad. She finished off with a couple of Aretha Franklin numbers, including Natural Woman.

The night ended with all three ladies on stage, along with another Adelaide chanteuse, Zkye, for a sing-along of Midnight Special.

This was a gig that offered incredible value-for-money: three outstanding singers, all backed by superb musicians, and all delivering great songs and energetic performances. The audience was spoiled, and we knew it!

How are they going to top this next year??

Reviewed by Tracey Korsten

@TraceyKorsten

http://www.kellymenhennett.com/

https://www.facebook.com/gailpagemusic/

https://www.facebook.com/Chris-E-Thomas-182944307541/

 

More News

To Top