Frazey Ford has all the attributes to be the cornerstone of
contemporary roots music for the next decade and beyond. Not that the last
decade and half hasn’t served her well as an integral part of the hugely
acclaimed Canadian folk group The Be Good Tanyas and a burgeoning solo career. The
release of the second Frazey Ford album last October saw the Vancouver based
artist move up a notch or two with a sound so effectively blending the folk
roots of her background and the soulful breakthrough of her calling. With
INDIAN OCEAN now bedded in as a highly respected album, Frazey and her band
have returned to Europe and incorporated three UK shows into the schedule. With
this limited availability, it was quite a coup for the Cosmic American team to
capture a date and schedule it away from their own East Midlands turf to the
Birmingham setting of the Glee Club chain.
As well as playing the same venue last year for a different
promoter, Frazey also visited the West Midlands twice in 2013 when The Be Good Tanyas
broke their extended hiatus to temporarily reform. This loyal following ensured
a decent Sunday night turnout with the gig taking place in the larger of the
venue’s two rooms, useful as well for housing the seven piece band for the
evening. This band consisted of a two piece horn section, bass and lead guitar,
percussion and the usual accompaniment of Caroline Ballhorn on backing vocals.
Frazey switches between acoustic guitar and pure vocals with the only missing
link from a complete band being a keyboard input to really drive the soulful
sound heralded by the trombone and trumpet.
Not only does Frazey have that A* knack of writing great
songs with catchy tunes, she has the most amazing distinct vocals sent to tease
and tantalise you before sending that soulful shiver down your spine. To head
down to Memphis to record the latest album was a magnetic manoeuvre for Frazey
who eulogised about playing with Al Green’s backing band and gleefully shared
with the audience the middle naming of her son Otis, just as she ploughed into a
version of Mr. Redding’s ‘Happy Song’.
The anticipation for this gig was based on the sultry sound of the latest
record and an ascending hour and half set hit a lofty plateau six songs in when
the band launched into the album’s opening track ‘September Fields’ before refusing to budge until the inevitable
standing ovation at the end.
Frazey appears to be perfectly at ease with this solo status
and continues to build bridges between the stage and the audience with a banter
style that perhaps is not her natural domain. One thing for sure is that the
vocals are effortless and it was a wonderful listening experience to savour
their glowing warmth and evocative appeal at such close quarters. In the latter
stages of the show, the band found and remained on the sweet spot generating
sounds similar to the players recently supporting two of North America’s
premier roots artists in Lucinda Williams and Rosanne Cash. This mesmerising
zone transfixed the discerning ear and enabled song after song to be etched on
both mind and heart.
The bulk of the set list was drawn from Frazey’s two solo
albums with the sole Tanya’s number served up being ‘Ooteshenia’ alongside the story of her draft defying hippy parents
fleeing north to Canada. The audience was also treated to a brand new song as
Frazey described the political origins surrounding ‘Separatin’’, an excellent song on first listen and sure to be a
winner when the next round of recorded material appears. As if to still hold
dear to her folk roots, she introduced the cover of Dylan’s ‘One More Cup of Coffee’ as a song to
still maintain credibility in that community.
This is one of the few songs not to originate from Frazey’s
pen and can be found on 2010’s OBADIAH. The same album illuminated the evening’s
proceedings with ‘Bird of Paradise’
and a couple of encore numbers in ‘Firecracker’
and ‘Blue Streak Mama’, the first of
these proving a popular selection and a slight deviation from the
pre-determined set. Virtually all of INDIAN OCEAN was played during the band’s
allotted time with the stimulating title track being a suitable choice to close
the show. ‘Done’, recently promoted
by a hugely popular video, was another well received song by the appreciative
audience, although there was hardly a tune not rapturously applauded by a crowd
who had earlier given a warm reception to another Vancouver artist in David
Ward taking his place as the support act.
There is an alluring and hypnotic presence about Frazey Ford,
the artist – the musician – the vocalist. Like so many roots performers, the
true strength is in the substance and quick fix consumers are likely to bypass
her talents. Yet for those enthusiasts buying into the concept of the complete
package then Frazey offers a wealth of talent, aura and deep rooted soul. In
fact let’s just call her one of the premier folk ‘n’ soul artists making
contemporary roots music today and undoubtedly most of those present in
Birmingham this evening will back this judgement.
www.frazeyford.com
