Live Review

Sarabeth Tucek – King Tut’s, Glasgow

• 9th May 2011

American singer songwriter Sarabeth Tucek played a fine, if short, set in support of folk/ pop band The Leisure Society last night at King Tut’s.

Sarabeth and her male accompanist walked through the audience and clambered carefully onto the stage from the front, avoiding the many instruments laid out for the seven piece band that was to follow. Picking up their guitars, an electric for her and an acoustic for him, there was a brief hello and then it was down to the music.

A decent sized crowd was treated to some fine songs delivered with grace and an ever-present brooding undercurrent of pain. With a voice that has been compared to many fine singers, Sarabeth Tucek is clearly very talented and she uses her
abilities to weave musical pictures so vivid as to make listening an almost voyeuristic pleasure.

Much of the set was taken from the album Get Well Soon, released in the UK last month. Wooden started softly before bursting into life while The Fireman, a tale of dreaming of her dead father, was quite beautiful.

Smile For No One saw Sarabeth accompanied from the piano while the male harmony added nicely to her country tinged delivery. And State I Am In, the new single, featured a harsher guitar tone although the vocals were still as clear and purposeful as they were throughout the set.

Unfortunately the final song came around much too quickly. Ending with a track from her 2006 debut album, Sarabeth received a healthy round of applause from the audience as she slipped back through the crowd.

Sarabeth Tucek is a fine songwriter and performer who clearly puts a great deal of herself into her music. The end result is a collection of songs that are very personal yet entertaining and a quality live show that showcases her vocal talents perfectly.