Caro Emerald at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, November 2015. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

The scene was set, the lights taken down to the feeling of sensual overload and moody cool and the band, that all important addition to any night of Jazz played immediately with a stirring passion that broke down any misplaced resistance of those that had poured themselves into the comfort of the Philharmonic Hall after the on-going downpour of the day and yet there was no sign of the shocking Ms. Emerald. The sound was there but no glorious sight, until the spotlight was seen and in one of the boxes stood the resplendent figure of Ms. Emerald taking the art of performance out into the crowd, standing emotionally enthralled and naked in amongst the people who had come to see her and the opening song of The Other Woman took on a whole different approach.

It was the kind of start that is not used often enough, the element of surprise, the ingredient of visual truth echoing the stance of the song and it was something that immediately grabbed the attention of the audience, who a single person, never let go of the adoration shown to Ms. Emerald all night.

The electro Jazz on offer, skilfully delivered by the musicians, Stephen Large, Ben Cummings, David Temple, Jeroen Vierdag, Wieger Hoogendorp and Remon Hubert was outrageously hot, it beat with magnetism and awe and was pushed further deep into the hearts of the crowd as it swung with temptation and feminine pose.

The Philharmonic Hall is used to nights of high drama, it would feel that Time was somehow askew if the thunder of applause didn’t reach the certain level of noise that would make the once equally elegant Concorde riding high in the sun bleached sky look down upon Liverpool’s music house on the hill with a sense of keen envy and spoilt like jealousy; yet that envy would have been made to be so much richer as each song was greeted with not just thunder but the whole tropical storm of thankful repose during the evening.

With songs such as Absolutely Me, Riveria Life, The Lipstick On His Collar, the ever impressive Pack Up The Louie and the outstanding perfect beat of Liquid Lunch all making the night swim by in the type of glorious heart bumping palpitation, the throb of incredible and thunderous musical direction, this was one of those nights in Liverpool where the infectious striking music was the Queen of all it surveyed.

Ms. Emerald’s contribution to Liverpool’s live music in 2015 will not have gone un-noticed, yet again she is bright treasure many have fallen in love with.

Ian D. Hall