Gig review: SARI & THE ENGINE ROOM – Surya, London, 7 December 2015
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New York vocalist Sari Schorr has the effortless range and sense of drama to give any song real purpose and tonight she connects with her showcase crowd as if delivering a personal message face to face.
And it’s her unabashed ability to draw us into the core of her songs that makes her a little bit different from the norm. She’s also supported by a fine band The Engine Room who after a tentative opening start to relax and illuminate the substance of her songs, allowing the imperious guitarist Innes Sibun to build a series of climatic solos either side of Sari’s emotive phrasing.
So far so good, but it quickly becomes apparent that the New York Blues Hall of Fame inductee and ASCAP Songwriter Award winner has some decisions to make about the direction of her material.
For while she’s got a multi octave vocal range to match real emotional commitment to some autobiographical lyrics, she has a fight on her hands not to be press ganged into the commercially attractive, but artistic dead hand of the mid-tempo, middle of the road Radio 2 mould.
Her musical CV also tells a tale, for while she’s made a splash in the blues-rock world by guesting with the likes of Joe Louis Walker and Popa Chubby, she’s also known as a jazz singer and has collaborated with leading country artists such as Kris Kristofferson and Rosanne Cash. It all points to a versatile, in demand vocalist happy to explore different musical genre’s, but who has now reached a point in her career where she needs to nail her own direction.
And tonight is all about introducing us to her own style, which in the New Year will lead to a Mike Vernon produced solo album for Manhaton records.
An expansive set goes through the card, as she starts out as a blues-rocker, embracing soul and even subtle elements of funk along the way, before finally hitting base on a startling big rock arrangement of ‘Black Betty’ that recalls Robert Plant in his pomp.
She’s a performer for whom making an essential connection with her crowd is everything, to the point that when a song really burns she pushes her vocals to the limit. But there’s more, as having delivered her lines passionately she adds dramatically mimed shapes as the band stretches out behind her.
Things really come together on ‘Demolition Man’ and she changes her style again on a big blues ballad, which may have been called ‘Letting Go’, though its hard to tell, because while she exhorts us to share her feelings she never announces the song titles.
Her band hits the best groove of the night on ‘Oklahoma’, which is built on Kevin Jefferies stolen bass line from the Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson era. Her preamble tells us enough about a journey to an abortive TV appearance to make it something all of her own. The band purrs perfectly as the song lilts, grooves and moves to an end-piece rap on which she references different place names.
Everything flows into the climactic reworking of the Lead Belly’s ‘Black Betty’, which is denuded of its manic Ram Jam style riff-driven stomp and re-imagined as a slow building, big rock arrangement.
It’s a great finish to a set full of promise which given a few original arrangements like this will surely bring her rich reward.
Review by Pete Feenstra
Photos by Mark Hughes
Pete Feenstra presents his Rock & Blues Show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio every Tuesday at 19:00 GMT, and “The Pete Feenstra Feature” on Sundays at 19:00
Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK
Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.
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David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 3 November 2024.
UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 29 October 2024.
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KLOGR face The Unknown (Zeta Factory)
BEYOND UNBROKEN Dance With The Dead (FiXT)
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09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)
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