Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
Extravaganza is a large word to live up to, it holds an allusion in its embracing hands that few can seriously make peace with, that many fold under the pressure of pursuing, the sense of the spectacular image being torn down by the performer as the sentence and expectations of the public become downed by the realisation that nothing truly can ever top the bill to the point where baited-breath and eyes on stalks witnesses such majesty.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
People make much of debut performances, the rite of passage which is seen as historic, the wish to not only enjoy at first-hand what the future may bring, but perhaps to deliver the knowing smile in homely company or at the places of work the thought that you were there to witness it.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Ration * * * *
It was arguably one of those nights in which it didn’t matter who the support act was, who broke the ice at the debut performance of Kacey Musgrave in Liverpool, the audience, understandably, could be seen to feel the rising tension of the long-awaited appearance of the Country superstar in their midst.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
If life is offering you nothing but Blues, then without any argument or sense of guilt the only thing that should be done is too take in the performance of a true link between the golden heyday of Blues, and its natural platinum standard of the 21st Century, that of the ever graceful American, and passionate guitar player, Robert Cray; it is a performance that thrill the bones of anyone, Anytime.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Temptation is either driven by the absolute desire to possess something that should never be yours, or by the smallest introduction to something that is beautiful, the latter not to own, but to at least explore, to take charge of feeling inadequate of not having seen its sparkling joy descend before your eyes before.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
It would be easy to give the phrase “There is something about them“ a gentle autumn-clean and present it as if it was the most novel expression coined about Level 42, however despite the wording being over used, it remains a factor of the subtly, the complexity and delivery of the band’s music that makes it a truth always worth pursuing and being entrusted with spreading the word about.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
All good memories fade eventually, perhaps not disappearing forever, never completely out of grasp, but they do fade, they might lose their lustre, the moment when you declared a love forever lost to age, responsibility and the unknowing regret of not designed neglect, that is life, a passion for the always in your sight, replaced by the allure of other more tangible and currently immediate passions.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
History is a place where the modern-day eye falls sharply, and arguably with some personal antagonism, into the realm of judgement and criticism. It is a place that people forget the modern age in which we breathe our daily dust in, will also one day be criticised, pored over with unsentimental eyes and the feeling of damned ill-favour. To stand in the way of that judgement, to carry on producing great songs of lyrical poetry, of music that is powerful in its intent, and demanding in its delivery, that is verging on the heroic, it is to remain resolute in the face of those who dare suggest with snide lips, that nothing of the days that have passed is relevant anymore.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
When there are no more worlds in which to conquer, the explorer lays down their map and their compass, and slowly, but surely, disappears into the background, eventually merging with the times and places they have discovered. For many of us that holds true, the vast majority of those around you stop discovering many years before their time, they take out the compass one final time, put the backpack of half ideas formed, and then take root and watch the camp fire flicker with memories that slowly turn to dust and the tear of what was once passed.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *
Caro Emerald at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, October 2018. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.
The Queen of European Jazz waves her hand in time to the motion of the scintillating sound that clutches at the air of inspiration and unrequited love, it is a flourish that gives the audience the memory of Time, of understanding that the genre in which Caro Emerald has become the iconic figure and sound, requires at all times, to flow, to be constantly in flux, that the beat that has carried her towards the figure of 100 live performances in the U.K. alone, is a constant wild animal that needs handling with almost regal, and maternal care.