MARTHA REEVES & THE VANDELLAS | LIVE REVIEW
The Globe, Cardiff, Tue 10 Dec
With the onset of winter and a semi-permanent darkness that will almost certainly last until spring is finally sprung some time next May, there is nothing more called for round these here parts than a heat wave, and so no better person than the legendary Martha Reeves to bring one about. The sense of excitement in the venue is palpable long before showtime, with the anticipation being upped yet further as the choicest cuts of soul are spun to an audience decked out in their nattiest of threads. With the energy in the now packed room pulsing to and fro, Reeves strides onstage to a massed cheer of adulation and the powder keg is well and truly lit.
Reeves is quite simply wonderful, with a set chock full of the finest soul. From the early releases In My Lonely Room and Come And Get These Memories, to the aforementioned (Love Is Like A) Heat Wave”, Quicksand and the pleading Jimmy Mack, which drew a mass singalong and a Severn-wide grin from this icon of Motown. Also, if there is a more exciting four seconds in music than that between the opening snare roll and the first lyric of the propulsive “Nowhere to Run” then I’m yet to hear it.
Despite being billed as such, the 74 year old is Vandella-less throughout; although any doubts about whether her voice would be able to cope with the extra space are categorically blown away from the first note. Like the proverbial vintage, Reeves’ alto-vocals sound better than ever, all at once capable of both tenderness and raw power, sometimes within the same breath. Augmented by a band of relative youngsters who are clearly, and justifiably, in thrall to be backing such a giant of her craft, Reeves is on scintillating form.
From providing the youth of the sixties with a philosophy of ‘Dancing in the Street’, through to a recent stint as a council woman for the (motor) city that played such a big part in her original success, the 74 year old Reeves has seen and done it all in a career spanning six decades. Playing and slaying Cardiff is just the latest to be added to her long list of achievements.
words NICK MERRIMAN