The Stylistics performing their A Night Of Back To Back Hits Tour at The Albert Hall Nottingham on Monday 16th November 2015


 

Images and Review by Kevin Cooper

The Stylistics came to Nottingham’s Albert Hall last night and delivered an evening of pure 70’s sophisticated soul. With two original members still strutting their stuff after 48 years together, they treated us to a slick and professional performance, which took this near capacity audience on a trip down memory lane.

Warming up the audience was soul singer Diane Shaw, who with the use of backing tapes really got the party started. With tracks from her debut album, Love, Life & Strings, she endeared herself to this appreciative audience and with her cover version of Odyssey’s Native New Yorker, she had the audience up on their feet.

But the night truly belonged to The Stylistics, whose harmonies, slick moves and beautiful lyrics have clearly stood the test of time. With their six piece band they started with Rockin’ Roll Baby, and the hits just followed. Break Up To Make Up, Stop Look Listen (To Your Heart) and the beautiful You Are Everything were flawless. Delivering such love songs as You’ll Never Get To Heaven (If You Break My Heart) and I’m Stoned In Love With You, showed just how good the falsetto voice of Harold Eban Brown is as it soared around this delightful hall.

Having forgotten just what classics they are responsible for; hit followed hit. There were couples slow dancing in the aisles to the likes of Betcha By Golly Wow, Let’s Put It All Together and their 1974 huge chart success, You Make Me Feel Brand New, which everyone of a certain age knows all the words too.

With an audience dancing, clapping and singing along, this evening finished all too soon. Ending with Can’t Give You Anything (But My Love), what The Stylistics had given this appreciative audience was a fabulous night of sheer entertainment and nostalgia.