By Ali Soulio
After the death of 1960’s blues and soul great Etta James early last year, a group of dedicated musicians from around Australia came together to produce a tribute show in her honour called Heart of A Woman. Part of this year’s Fringe Festival, the event is held at The Soul Box, a small rhythm and blues venue located very much at the wrong end of town, Hindley Street’s west end.
Despite the surroundings, the venue offers a tight, intimate setup that would promote the atmosphere of a blues or jazz venue. However, to my heartache, the performance didn’t really manage to add to this. Whilst there was much to appreciate about the effort of the performers and indeed the essence of Etta James, it is by all means an embryonic project.
With only the assistance of a keyboardist, the three singers do manage to get the slightly aged crowd into the groove, but throughout the night it seemed there was a lack of depth that would usually be filled by some soft jazz drumming and perhaps a blues trumpet. Of more value were the fragments of knowledge into Etta’s life that each of these faithful performers had to offer.
First on stage, young Chelsea Wilson managed a neat rendition of Etta’s most popular song At Last with great vocal control and a pleasant tone, however her stage performance was a little stiff and didn’t quite scream the blues. Local talent Henry Manetta returned to Adelaide and to my delight (and hopefully the rest of the crowd’s) he brought with him some soul. Although his vocals were a little over performed, he brought some much-appreciated life to the room and the stage.
Finally, Ruth Rogers-Wright closed out the evening with a burst of soul. She reintroduced meaning to Etta’s songs that were being performed. Although there was a notable lack of preparation from a professional view, Rogers-Wright sang with emotion; something the audience had been starved of until that point.
All in all, Heart of A Woman: A Tribute to Etta James offers those who remember her an evening to reflect on the troubled but beautiful life of a great artist who’s voice we will never have the honour of hearing again. For a younger crowd, it’s a much more interesting and entertaining way to discover the essence of Miss Peaches rather than passively Googling her from an armchair.
Kryztoff Rating: 2.5K
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