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©Ian Dunn ©Principlephotography
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Despite the growing national radio airplay, this current tour remains low key thus ensuring Lindi has the opportunity to connect with her ever increasing list of admirers. The candlelit tables at the Hare and Hounds may have been more akin to the gentler performers who play the venue but the engulfing dry ice added to the mystique of the journey Lindi and her sidekick guitarist, introduced simply as Tom from Canada, was about to take the audience on.
The real life journey of Lindi originated as a stalwart of
the Toronto indie scene before heading south and the calling of Music City.
Nashville may be her current home but musically the ride can take you anywhere.
This is best epitomised by the outstanding ‘Cigarettes
and Truckstops’, one of the best road songs to emerge in recent years. Its
mid- set inclusion on the evening had the desired effect of vividly imagining
the heartfelt emotion of that trip all the way to LA. Its airing along with the
accompanying electric twang was an anticipated highlight that didn’t
disappoint.
Over the duration of the evening, the sultry vocals got
better and gradually she drifted towards her musical soul with the iconic
Memphis ‘Sun’ sound becoming more prevalent. Eventually she would immerse herself
into two interpretations of the Man in Black’s work, with a slowed down ‘Ring of Fire’ and slightly clichéd ‘Folsom Prison Blues’ but not before a
detour to New Orleans and an interesting version of the ‘House of the Rising Sun’. As an artist who holds a candle for the
female country pioneer, it was no surprise to hear a tribute to one of them and
on this occasion ‘Making Believe’ a
song made famous by Kitty Wells, enthralled the audience.
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©Ian Dunn
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However, Lindi is much more than a traditional country
revivalist, with her two most recent albums bulging with updated songs that aim
to take this music forward. From her 2011 album LITTLE RED BOOTS we were
treated to ‘All My Friends’, ‘Bluebird’ and the delightful ‘Angels’. The title track was not originally
on the set list but Lindi and Tom improvised to an audience request.
Lindi chose ‘Demons
Don’t get Me Down’ from the latest album CIGARETTES AND TRUCKSTOPS to open
the show, a release that contained possibly the highlight of the evening in the
wonderfully haunting ‘Heaven Has No
Vacancy’. This exceptional and highly recommended album was also
represented by ‘The Day You Die’, ‘High’ and ‘Every Mile of the Road’.
With a stage presence developed in the more raucous venues
of North American cities, Lindi is not the first artist to be a little unnerved
by the attentive silence of a UK audience but was keen to bond with her
trademark meet and greet hugs and was appreciative of her mid-set refreshment kindly
delivered via the bar’s top shelf. However it is the edge she brings to her
music and a desire to challenge the boundaries of country music, yet still
remaining true to the ethos of the genre, that is most appealing.
The music intelligentsia may or may not keep Lindi Ortega on
their radar but for the committed fans in the know, she is set to remain a firm
favourite in their hearts and hopefully we can look forward to more releases
and an increased commitment to visit the UK.http://lindiortega.ca/