Sharon Robinson at Oran Mor, Glasgow- report
Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2015 8:21 am
Saw Sharon Robinson this evening (well, yesterday evening now) and she did not disappoint. There was a half hour support act singing 1920s-30s Gospel music (guy with guitar plus upright bass- didn't get the names), then Sharon R came on looking beautiful in an orange patterned top, and sang pretty much the same songs as she seems to have sung in London, a mixture of songs from her last album (Everybody Knows), her new album (Caffeine) and Ten New Songs, as well as couple of other LC collaborations. Oran Mor is quite an intimate venue, we felt close to her, and it was pretty much full.
She started 'Hello Glasgow!' (Didn't get much of a reaction, as I suspect many of those there, like me, don't live in Glasgow and had just gone through to see her.)
She talked about how she wondered when she toured all these European cities with LC whether she'd ever get to see all these great cities- like Glasgow- again. I laughed- I couldn't help it. Did she see anything at all of Glasgow other than the hotel?
She has such an easy, bluesy voice, but with real heart as well. It went:
Strong for Me (Caffeine)
Caffeine (Caffeine)
(Both sung on her own, accompanying herself on the keyboard. My husband really liked the first one, I liked them both. After this the other two came on, her son on another keyboard and the trumpeter)
In my Secret Life (TNS)-
(this is so quintessentially LC's song that I couldn't really attach it to SR, but she does make certain lines of it very much her own, like 'the dealer wants you thinking that it's either black or white' and 'I'd DIE for the truth in my Secret Life'.)
Summertime (EK)- that is one great song.
I'm a bit hazy about the order after that- I think she did Love Itself (TNS) next, and then Safe (Caff), but it could have been the other way round.
I think the High Road (EK) was also in that half, which is an utterly fabulous song, and very appropriate for Scotland, and she did it beautifully. She was clearly quite moved while she was singing it.
I think she finished that half with Everybody Knows (TNS), which she doesn't do nearly as well as LC- she just isn't cynical enough.
She started the second half on her own again, with (I think) One More Song (Caff)- another really gorgeous, heartfelt number. And then we got, as in London,
Sustenance (EK- not gone on that one)
A Thousand Kisses Deep (TNS- Again, I don't think it's really her, apart from a few lines like 'I saw there were no oceans left for scavengers like me', which really came alive).
The Harder You Look For Love (Caff- a very clever one)
Driftwood (Caff- whose lyrics inevitably remind one of 'Undertow')
She finished with Boogie Street (TNS), and did make that her own. And then, for an encore, an absolutely sublime Alexandra Leaving (TNS- though I wish she would take out a few of the embellishments, especially going up on 'crucifix uncrossed'), followed by the fun 'Lucky' (Caff).
I bought both the albums, but there was no sign of her afterwards (I probably left too soon, to catch the last train back).
She's just so sweet and lovely. I think she was quite sad at moments- Glasgow's a lugubrious place- but I was thinking how amazing it is for someone to bring their little pool of a very different culture- someone who is someone where she comes from- to the edge of the world, to Scotland. Which is, I'm afraid, among other things, hideously white. But hopefully she couldn't see that from the stage.
Hope the rest of the tour carries on being a success- she said this was the middle section of it- wonder where she'll go next?
She started 'Hello Glasgow!' (Didn't get much of a reaction, as I suspect many of those there, like me, don't live in Glasgow and had just gone through to see her.)
She talked about how she wondered when she toured all these European cities with LC whether she'd ever get to see all these great cities- like Glasgow- again. I laughed- I couldn't help it. Did she see anything at all of Glasgow other than the hotel?
She has such an easy, bluesy voice, but with real heart as well. It went:
Strong for Me (Caffeine)
Caffeine (Caffeine)
(Both sung on her own, accompanying herself on the keyboard. My husband really liked the first one, I liked them both. After this the other two came on, her son on another keyboard and the trumpeter)
In my Secret Life (TNS)-
(this is so quintessentially LC's song that I couldn't really attach it to SR, but she does make certain lines of it very much her own, like 'the dealer wants you thinking that it's either black or white' and 'I'd DIE for the truth in my Secret Life'.)
Summertime (EK)- that is one great song.
I'm a bit hazy about the order after that- I think she did Love Itself (TNS) next, and then Safe (Caff), but it could have been the other way round.
I think the High Road (EK) was also in that half, which is an utterly fabulous song, and very appropriate for Scotland, and she did it beautifully. She was clearly quite moved while she was singing it.
I think she finished that half with Everybody Knows (TNS), which she doesn't do nearly as well as LC- she just isn't cynical enough.
She started the second half on her own again, with (I think) One More Song (Caff)- another really gorgeous, heartfelt number. And then we got, as in London,
Sustenance (EK- not gone on that one)
A Thousand Kisses Deep (TNS- Again, I don't think it's really her, apart from a few lines like 'I saw there were no oceans left for scavengers like me', which really came alive).
The Harder You Look For Love (Caff- a very clever one)
Driftwood (Caff- whose lyrics inevitably remind one of 'Undertow')
She finished with Boogie Street (TNS), and did make that her own. And then, for an encore, an absolutely sublime Alexandra Leaving (TNS- though I wish she would take out a few of the embellishments, especially going up on 'crucifix uncrossed'), followed by the fun 'Lucky' (Caff).
I bought both the albums, but there was no sign of her afterwards (I probably left too soon, to catch the last train back).
She's just so sweet and lovely. I think she was quite sad at moments- Glasgow's a lugubrious place- but I was thinking how amazing it is for someone to bring their little pool of a very different culture- someone who is someone where she comes from- to the edge of the world, to Scotland. Which is, I'm afraid, among other things, hideously white. But hopefully she couldn't see that from the stage.
Hope the rest of the tour carries on being a success- she said this was the middle section of it- wonder where she'll go next?
