Katie Melua @ Symphony Hall, 1st December, 2016
Just as her softly-sung gentle pop was in danger of becoming slightly well-worn, Katie Melua has enlisted the help of the Gori Women’s Choir, all the way from her homeland of Georgia.
Such is her belief in new album In Winter, Melua proudly announces to the packed-out Symphony Hall — the unnervingly sharp acoustics of which are perfect for her less-is-more approach — that the new disc will be performed in its entirety, after openers This Little Swallow and a cover of Joni Mitchell’s River.
In fact, it is hard to rid the notion that there is no better concert venue suited to Melua: the Hall’s numerous classical concerts can be found to feature impressive choirs almost any day of the week, so it is no surprise that the Gori Women’s Choir provide a wonderful backdrop to Melua’s quiet, understated singing style.
Flanked merely by a bassist — armed with a thickly twanging double-bass and a fretless example — and a keyboardist, Melua appears to sing into her acoustic guitar, displaying impressive fingerpicking, rather than have a staring contest with the appreciative crowd. It only heightens the impression of an always-humble and underrated talent, however.
After an interval, the evening’s second half — traditionally a greatest hits free-for-all after presenting a work in its entirety — sees her take the curious route of adding more covers (that presumably didn’t fit the festive theme of the new album, like River), including a rapturously-received Bridge Over Troubled Water. Each is skilfully reeled off, with Katie and band visibly enjoying themselves, but they take the place of selections from the seven albums she now has to her name.
The choir return for a knockout one-two punch of Nine Million Bicycles and The Closest Thing to Crazy. A cursory glance over the setlist initially gives the impression of shunting the ‘hits’ up at the back of the evening, but due credit is given for artistry over direct commercialism — i.e. instead of merely churning out the hits, putting on a memorable, warm and beautiful show instead.
Reviewer – James Stokes