Roaming Roots Revue, Celtic Connections, Glasgow review: 'top drawer'
It’s always a brilliant live jukebox show, but this year’s Roaming Roots Revue featured some exciting new talents, writes Fiona Shepherd
Roaming Roots Revue, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall ★★★★
The Roaming Roots Revue is now such a Celtic Connections institution that it is easy to take its brilliance for granted. The capacity audience knows the score: MC Roddy Hart and his band The Lonesome Fire invite a succession of guest vocalists to interpret pop standards on a theme and press play on a top drawer live jukebox. Following last year’s Icons Vol.1 homage to classic British artists, it was time for the pendulum to swing back over the Atlantic to celebrate the greats of the States, once again with the uplifting backing of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Orchestra, conducted by John Logan.
Elbow’s Guy Garvey was the biggest name on the bill and accordingly tackled some big beasts: The Beach Boys, Neil Diamond, Joni Mitchell (Canadian, but allowed) and Glenn Campbell’s Wichita Lineman, correctly introduced as “a song everybody loves”, which elicited spontaneous rounds of applause for the mellow guitar solo.
Singer/composer C Duncan embraced the easy listening joys of Gene Pitney and Burt Bacharach, the former’s Town Without Pity garlanded with sublime siren backing vocals from Rachel Lightbody, Cariss Crosbie and Emilie Boyd aka Little Acres.
Louisiana native Dylan LeBlanc paid tribute to his home state with a soothing rendition of Randy Newman’s Louisiana 1927 and ticked Elvis and Willie Nelson off the scorecard with a sweetly delivered Always On My Mind.
Edinburgh-based James Emmanuel brought the soul showmanship on his Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder covers, Rianne Downey played to her country strengths honouring Dolly Parton and Tennessee’s Amythyst Kiah offered a cool banjo-led rendition of Prince’s Raspberry Beret.
As Hart attested, there is no Roaming Roots without powerhouse vocalist Phil Campbell who tore into Nina Simone’s Feeling Good with his trademark energy, making full use of the orchestral swagger. But there is also a new showstopper in town, as the fearless Alice Faye covered both Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra with utter emotional conviction.
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