REVIEW
''You've Got A Friend - The Music Of James Taylor and Carole King''
50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
Palace Theatre, Westcliff on Sea
5th March 2018
''You've Got A Friend - The Music Of James Taylor and Carole King''
50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
Palace Theatre, Westcliff on Sea
5th March 2018
I have to be honest, the initial draw of this show for me was the fact that Carole King is one of my favourite all time singer/songwriters, (I saw her perform Tapestry at Hyde Park a couple of years ago and have seen Beautiful - the Carole King musical four times) and the opportunity to hear any of her songs being performed is something I wouldn't have wanted to pass by. I've listened to James Taylor throughout the years and love his music too so the You've Got A Friend concert style tribute, based on the friendship and musical relationship of the the pair, seemed certain to be a winning combination.
Kyla Brown performs as Carole King and Steffan James as James Taylor and they are accompanied by a 3 piece backing band of Tim Bloomer on electric guitar, Dom Told on bass and Ash Abbott on drums.
Although the pair are dressed up and look the parts of King and Taylor, as with a lot of tributes these days, they don't try and insult the intelligence of the audience by impersonating them. In between songs, the evening is broken up into interesting anecdotes about how their 40 year friendship began, peppered with interesting musical facts that perhaps not everyone would know about. We find out that James Taylor was the first American artist to be signed to Apple Records after auditioning for Paul McCartney; that Carole King between the decades of the 50s and 90s was the the most successful female songwriter in the world and that her Tapestry album sold over 25 million copies, making it one of the biggest selling albums of all time and also that 'You've Got a Friend' was released by both Carole and James in the same year.
Stefan actually really looks the part, complete with the flat cap that the Boston born singer/songwriter tends to sport these days and actually sounds pretty darn close to the man himself. Stefan as Taylor came into his own, endearing the audience, with 'Sweet Baby James', 'Fire and Rain' and 'Shower the People' and 'Your Smiling Face'.
However, while Kyla also looks the part and takes on a lot of New York City born, Carole King's mannerisms, she doesn't really have the same vocal sound. It doesn't matter - Kyla has a pretty fabulous voice and vocal technique and she really punches out some great songs, not least with 'Beautiful', 'It's Too Late' and an outstanding version of 'Way Over Yonder' which the audience clearly adored.
This is a gentle and easy-going show that, to be fair, could be said to be a little lacklustre in places but which obviously appealed to the Southend audience who, although a little reticent at first, were in no doubt enjoying themselves throughout. With a rousing encore of 'Natural Woman' and 'I Feel the Earth Move' almost everyone was up on their feet dancing away, ending in a spontaneous standing ovation.
The tour continues and for more information go to www.mapletreeentertainment.com
Kyla Brown performs as Carole King and Steffan James as James Taylor and they are accompanied by a 3 piece backing band of Tim Bloomer on electric guitar, Dom Told on bass and Ash Abbott on drums.
Although the pair are dressed up and look the parts of King and Taylor, as with a lot of tributes these days, they don't try and insult the intelligence of the audience by impersonating them. In between songs, the evening is broken up into interesting anecdotes about how their 40 year friendship began, peppered with interesting musical facts that perhaps not everyone would know about. We find out that James Taylor was the first American artist to be signed to Apple Records after auditioning for Paul McCartney; that Carole King between the decades of the 50s and 90s was the the most successful female songwriter in the world and that her Tapestry album sold over 25 million copies, making it one of the biggest selling albums of all time and also that 'You've Got a Friend' was released by both Carole and James in the same year.
Stefan actually really looks the part, complete with the flat cap that the Boston born singer/songwriter tends to sport these days and actually sounds pretty darn close to the man himself. Stefan as Taylor came into his own, endearing the audience, with 'Sweet Baby James', 'Fire and Rain' and 'Shower the People' and 'Your Smiling Face'.
However, while Kyla also looks the part and takes on a lot of New York City born, Carole King's mannerisms, she doesn't really have the same vocal sound. It doesn't matter - Kyla has a pretty fabulous voice and vocal technique and she really punches out some great songs, not least with 'Beautiful', 'It's Too Late' and an outstanding version of 'Way Over Yonder' which the audience clearly adored.
This is a gentle and easy-going show that, to be fair, could be said to be a little lacklustre in places but which obviously appealed to the Southend audience who, although a little reticent at first, were in no doubt enjoying themselves throughout. With a rousing encore of 'Natural Woman' and 'I Feel the Earth Move' almost everyone was up on their feet dancing away, ending in a spontaneous standing ovation.
The tour continues and for more information go to www.mapletreeentertainment.com
