ShareBeverley Knight performing her I Love Soulsville Tour at The Royal Concert Hall Nottingham on Tuesday 3rd October 2017.
Images and Review by Kevin Cooper
The Queen of British Soul, Beverley Knight finally made it to the Royal Concert Hall last night on her I Love Soulsville Tour, after having had to postpone earlier this year so that she could recuperate from an operation. But this appreciative audience agreed that she was well worth the wait.
Bounding onto the stage this possessor of a truly wonderful powerful voice launched into a singing showcase with three quality backing singers and a compact funky band of keyboards, bass, drums and guitar. Promoting her latest album Soulsville recorded in Willie Mitchell’s legendary Royal Studios in Memphis, Knight found plenty of space for some of her early hits as well as some of her new ones.
Opening with Get Up, she set the tone as her voice resounded around the Hall and when she followed up with Flavour Of The Old School, there was not a single person still in their seats.
New songs Middle Of Love and When I See You Again were a top drawer master class in soul with a satisfying smattering of sass. The cover of Anne Peeble’s I Can’t stand The Rain came early but was followed up with songs from the new album, Private Number, I Won’t Be Looking Back and All Things Must Change.
There was a tribute to artists no longer with us with the beautiful emotive cover of George Michael’s One More Try which earned Knight a standing ovation and she left the stage to her support acts saxophonist Yolanda Brown and vocalist Josh Daniel for a very acceptable Young Americans. But it was Shouda Woulda Coulda and Black Butta that had the audience back on their feet whilst Gold could not have had a more apt a title as Knight’s performance was exactly that.
Finishing with Chaka Khan’s I’m Every Woman and her own Come As You Are, Knight was an absolute force of nature on stage and possess a voice that really needs to be heard live to be appreciated.
