Live Review

Lauren Pritchard – Oran Mor, Glasgow

• 9th Oct 2010

The Island Life tour rolled into Glasgow giving three new Island acts the opportunity to shine. And it was an excellent night of music, enjoyed by a lively Friday night crowd.

Tinashe was the first to take to the stage. The young Zimbabwean mixes funk and soul with just a hint of Africa, using a mbira (Zimbabwean thumb piano) to good effect. He has a voice perhaps best described as sweet and a good stage presence, although lyrically his songs seemed a little repetitive at times.

This was something of a homecoming for Pearl and the Puppets, a West of Scotland band fronted by singer Katie Sutherland. Their jaunty pop style featuring melodious lyrics and delivered with panache by Pearl/ Katie is infectious. Mango Tree and Kisses were particular highlights and even the stage lights going out mid song did not faze them. This is a band with a bright future.

Headliner Lauren Pritchard quite simply stole the show.

From the first note of her first song, the power and beauty of her voice was evident to all. She didn’t waste time with chat, preferring to let her music dominate, which it did to excellent effect.

At just 22, Pritchard is already an experienced live performer, having a Broadway show and recent stage time with Paul Weller on her CV. Coming from Jackson, Tennessee, you might perhaps expect a country sound, but Lauren’s vocal style is much more soulful.

The set featured most of her debut album, Wasted in Jackson, which will be released later this month. On the basis of this performance it will be a must have for fans of strong female vocalists.

Pritchard spent the majority of the set behind her keyboards, but also showed her versatility, playing guitar and also singing solo, clutching the mic and playing to the crowd. She is a polished performer and the emotion of her lyrics is clear to see as she lets her voice soar. There is just the slightest of raw edges at times but this simply adds to the appeal.

When The Night Kills The Day built slowly, with vocals over a banjo, showing a softer side to Pritchard, before coming to a tremendous finish, while Going Home displayed the great range she has at her disposal, all smouldering and smoky.

Her singles, Painkellers and Not The Drinking were both perfectly performed to tremendous applause. And the set closed with Try A Little Harder, a lovely ballad, which was once again delivered quite beautifully.

Lauren Pritchard has a tremendous voice and she knows how to use it to best effect. She is soulful and heartfelt, yet also tender and evocative of the stories she paints. And her new album will take her career to new levels. It should be a great success.