Music / 100 Days
Review: Sharon Jones, Colston Hall
There must be wedding band vocalists who’ve seen Sharon Jones over the years and thought they do what she does, but the truth is otherwise.
When most people encounter live soul music it’s either at a social function when nostalgia for tunes excuses a mediocre performance, or it’s a stadium affair for a Motown great claiming well deserved love for past glories. Sharon Jones is neither – she is simply performing great new songs written in the style of classic 60s soul in the places where people go out to dance, recreating the fresh energy and personal contact that always made the music so important to so many people. Her latest record called ‘Give The People What They Want’ and her glory is that she knows what that is and just how to do it: for someone who was in heavy cancer treatment a year ago that is bloody awesome.
After some typically ear-catching rare groove tunes from DJ John Stapleton (who else?) this Colston Hall gig kicked off proper with Lee Fields, a genuine 60s soul performer who caught a James Brown groove with his 6-piece band The Expressions. His gravelly vocals were a treat, especially on ‘Faithful Man’, with wobbling Farfisa organ and stabbing brass chords built up to a fine climax. It was Fields who gave Sharon Jones her first break as a backing vocalist but now it was her turn in the spotlight and she used it to the full, sparkling dress catching the lights as she stormed around the stage delivering 40 horse-power soul music without missing a breath. This was post-modern stuff, alright, but not ironic – more a new distillation of the rules of the game that gave her what she needed to make a performance. And what a performance – she was a diva at one with her audience, whether swooping on a hapless male in the crowd, mimicking Tina Turner or testifying about her illness. Songs like ‘Get Up and Get Out’, ‘Hard Times’ and ‘100 Days, 100 Nights’ became lost anthems in her hands, the embodiment of life lived to the full. It’s a secret that was hers to impart and the delighted Colston Hall audience were grateful for every last drop.
is needed now More than ever
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