Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9.5/10
Helena Johnson is going to be huge one day, all the signs are there and the performance, especially when placed in with the big band ensemble is a spectacle to behold and admire.
From the more intimate setting that Parr Street’s Studio 2 offers, to being part of this year’s Threshold Festival, nothing prepares the music lover for what is to come as she and her 16 piece band take the Sir Paul McCartney auditorium by storm. The sound, captivating, smooth, playful and teasing, is only a few short steps from what can be heard on stage when the likes of Caro Emerald and Paloma Faith offer their all to audiences inside the Philharmonic. The resonance of Ms. Johnson’s voice is reassuring and supportive, it grabs the attention of the listener but not in a way that causes conflict of emotions, it is just a beauty waiting to be exposed on a bigger and grander scale.
Starting her section of those to graduate this year in the annual showcase of talent that comes out of Sir Paul McCartney’s realm with the song No You Didn’t, the vast array of students, fans and the odd well placed discerning visitor to the theatre were left panting at the abundance of sound that emanated from the stage, the overall synchronization of reasoned resonance and general accord between players.
Tracks such as I’m Over You, the haunting Dreams of Paradise, Take Me Home Tonight, Played the Game and Finger were played with structured, overwhelming abandon and they delved between utter splendour and ravishing magnificence. If these type of songs are being written now, with so much musical vision attached to them and a desire for the music to never stop, what will come the way of the audiences who make their way to Helena Johnson’s gigs in the future?
The theory of a world in crisis, such as what faced the planet between the wars and again as the great depression of the 21st Century hit home, brings out the best in the Jazz-Big band era may or may not be true, however listening to Helena Johnson in this arena of artistic souls and surrounded by her tremendously endowed band, the only idea worth pursuing is one of just how huge Ms. Johnson is going to become.
An excellent set of music, delivered with perfect timing.
Ian D. Hall