CARO EMERALD | LIVE REVIEW
St David’s Hall, Cardiff, Wed 24 Oct
It was time to get out the hat and gloves because part of the pleasure of experiencing Miss Caro Emerald is all about the glamour, along with the music, naturally. Emerald is the whole package – an entertainer who always looks glamorous and classy with a voice to match. During this tour she hit her milestone 100th UK date, to boot.
Loren Nine, the singer’s compatriot, opened with a combination of Adele and Rumer. We got to hear her first single, Who Needs You, which hopefully will make a splash.
Before launching into Riviera Life, Caro Emerald announced, “We’ll be taking you on a trip,” and we not only visited that famous coast but went down the South American way, made the scene in Miami and Havana and even landed in the tranquil South Pacific. It was fun in the sun (and moonlight). Many tunes from the albums Deleted Scenes From The Cutting Room Floor and The Shocking Miss Emerald appeared, while Tahitian Skies and the dramatic, classical-sounding The Ghost Of You were from her latest work, the Emerald Island EP.
Even though Emerald’s a retro-diva in sight and sound, she isn’t a slave to the past because she gives her songs a modern touch. With her hit singles – whether the hip-hopish, Latin tango-tinged Tangled Up or crowd favourite Liquid Lunch – the Dutch native proved she can tackle multiple genres. Midway through, she changed from a metallic, long-tiered skirt into a more casual (for her) yellow print blouse and black tube skirt. Fans come to expect fabulous clothing sightings during her shows, and she didn’t disappoint.
And, as always, those fans danced in their seats and – eventually – upfront, for you can never sit still at these soirees. Emerald continued the Latin theme, performing Night In Brasilia, and included a new tune, Wake Up Romeo, where she showed off her scat and rap skills and gave a James Bond-ian touch to her first single, Back It Up, both in a jazzy vein.
Switching to pop with the first song of her encore, the vocalist ramped it up with Stuck and concluded with one of her best-known singles, the sultry A Night Like This, charming the wildly enthusiastic audience into a call and response. The whole production was top-notch, and Emerald couldn’t do it without her always swinging and superb, red-hot seven-piece band. This was an event, and though it was in a large hall and not a club, you felt like you were in your own private Caro Emerald video.
words RHONDA LEE REALI photos GARETH GRIFFITHS
