Corinne Bailey Rae
Live at The Refectory on Friday, 16th March 2007
First up Jack Savoretti - at 22 years old half English and half Italian, blessed with Latin good looks and a voice that many would die for. Combine that with his fluid, inventive guitar playing and you have all the qualities that will put you at the top of your game. Walking on stage on his own in front of Corrine's home town crowd must have been quite a nerve racking experience and indeed the first words uttered from this very talented chap were "Isn't there a lot of people in here tonight" obviously realising by now he had it all to do to win this crowd over. And win over he did. Playing six tracks from his new album "Between The Minds" seemed to generate enough interest for people to hold off going to the bar and head straight to his merchandise for CDs instead. The only break in the set was to take his rather fetching hat off, which to the disappointment of the ladies he didn't throw to the crowd. This is a chap who you will hear a lot more from in the coming months - it seems he has it all and a following too.
Finally, after much anticipation, Corinne Bailey Rae came out to rapturous applause. She's an adorable, petite woman with a voice that stands on its own. She sang most of the tracks from her current album tonight, however just listening to the album does not do her justice. Rae smiles when she sings and feels the passion with every note as her arms dance around her body dictating every chord, every note. Every once in a while she would extend her hand forward until she finished a note, almost as if she was giving us the music. She sings to the audience, not at the audience. Of course, as soon as she played Put Your Records On, the whole audience lit up, singing and dancing. I think Rae almost enjoyed watching us as much as we enjoyed watching her. Between her strong, sultry voice and just plain lovely demeanour, Corinne Bailey Rae lights up the stage and everyone watching her.
This is one hell of a Diva.
