Photo credit Erica Shires |
Amanda has toured in several different formats over the
years and on this UK trip she has teamed up with bassist Stephanie Dickinson to
form a duo, with the chemistry flourishing both on and off the stage. Whilst
her recent career has been intrinsically linked with husband Jason Isbell, Amanda
is the proud architect of a fabulous trio of solo albums and she decided to
base much of this evening’s set around the two most recent releases with an
understandably particular emphasis on 2013s DOWN FELL THE DOVES.
As is usual in my extensive live music experience, a gig
often throws up a surprise standout track and from the deep well of the latest
album, a serene version of ‘Stay’
made a instantly pleasing lasting impression. This song just eclipsed ‘Bulletproof’ which has long since been
an album favourite and Amanda took great delight in vividly explaining its
inspiration from an encounter in Tampa, Florida. ‘The Garden Song’, ‘Devastate’
and ‘Wasted and Rolin’’ were amongst those
selected for the opening set with ‘Look
Like a Bird’ launching the second part of this enjoyable evening.
The rendition of this track was one of the few occasions
Amanda chose to sample her violin skills during the performance, instead deciding to major on ukulele, both electric and acoustic. She was immensely proud of her Martin branded
version of the latter and this neatly blended with the subtlety of Stephanie’s
double bass playing. You only need to hear a solitary note from Amanda to
identify her distinct vocals which fuel your ears in a quirky yet satisfying
manner. After she opened with ‘Kudzu’
from CARRYIN’ LIGHTNING, they continued to define the best parts of the evening
and probably peaked in a fine version of the popular ‘When You Need A Train It Never Comes’.
Photo credit Erica Shires |
During the evening, Amanda name checked a stellar list of
artists who she had worked with including Justin Townes Earle, Billy Jo Shaver
and Todd Snider. However for tonight’s show she chose to cover the Leonard
Cohen song ‘I’m Your Man’ to reveal
where her other influences lie. Like so many multi-talented artists operating
out of Nashville, Amanda is primarily a singer songwriter and her original
material demonstrates a high degree of depth and quality.
While husband Jason was simultaneously storming other UK
venues on this joint visit, Amanda Shires continues to develop into a significant
artist in her own right. While collaborations with Jason will no doubt continue
to feature in the future, Amanda Shires is certain to grow in standing as a performer
who writes, sings and plays great songs in a style core to the ideals of folk,
Americana and rock n’ roll.