Lindsay Hannon (vocals); Mark Williams (guitar); John Pope (bass); Russ Morgan (drums)
(Review by Steve H/Photos courtesy of Ken Drew)
The Lit and Phil once again played host to a Lindsay Hannon Plus album launch. Personnel changes from the first album saw Russ Morgan on drums replace Tom Chapman whilst James Harrison was replaced by guitarist Mark Williams. The ever-present John Pope on double bass displayed his loyalty by sporting the same shade hair colour as the band leader.
A short set of old favourites: a couple of Joni Mitchell tunes (Hissing of Summer Lawns, Main Street), a Pat Metheny number and Monk’s In Walked Bud got the capacity audience nicely warmed up. The second set saw the unveiling of songs from the new album. Three moving, autobiographical, originals: Everyone, Maths & Morning Revisited (lyrics by Hannon, music by Williams) got things underway. The mood didn’t really get any lighter as versions of Miss Otis Regrets and Robert Wyatt’s Sea Song followed.
Back to back Romeo songs proved not to be the tragedy the Shakespeare might have intended as Mark Knoffler’s Romeo and Juliet was succeeded by Tom Wait’s Romeo Lies Bleeding with great aplomb. The setlist might give the impression that anyone not in tears by the end of the evening was a cruel and heartless misanthrope but nothing could be further from the truth since the quality of both material and performance couldn’t fail to entertain.
The band was remarkably slick almost too slick for my liking. Mark Williams is a great guitarist but I felt he was a little bit too confined in this format and therefore not really given the room to produce his customary explosive solos.
I am not quite sure why the Lit and Phil was selected by JNE for this launch given that the grand piano lay untouched in a corner of the room. A more club-like venue with softer lighting would have been far better suited to the sultry soulful style that singer Hannon so brilliantly purveys.
The evening concluded with Carlos Jobim’s cheerful upbeat number No More Blues featuring some great work on drums from Russ Morgan. A fitting and joyful ending to a hugely successful evening but you don’t have to take my word for it buy the CD and you too can experience ‘earth treading stars that make dark heaven light’.
Steve H
1 comment :
All four of them were indeed 'earth treading stars' that night, and the emotional impact at the end of this superb gig was definitely 'such sweet sorrow'.
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