For around half an hour in the second set, Jill Andrews hit a purple patch delivering near faultless music. A pitch, note or chord were hardly out of place as an artist sitting comfortably in their zone thrived on a compatible and supportive platform. A fan experience never to be taken lightly whether up close and personal at the grassroots or lavishly savoured on a grander stage. Of course imperfections can connectively bring live music into a sense of reality and towards the end of the show invited audience backing vocals to 'Joy Ride' suitably provided this. Ah, the magic of being at one in a small room.
Nashville-based Andrews was making a second visit to Birmingham after playing a show at the nearby Hare and Hounds in November 2022. For many present that night, she was a new name on the block, although mainly from a UK live touring circuit perspective as there is a fully stocked twenty year career in her music locker. Positive impressions brought many back for a second helping at the Kitchen Garden and they were set to be rewarded. The interim period saw a different side to Jill Andrews when she brought the band to the Long Road Festival in 2023 where a fuller sound added a different dimension to acutely crafted songs.
While the Hare and Hounds and Kitchen Garden complement each other on the Kings Heath music scene, the latter wins hands down when a cultured singer-songwriter plays to forty pairs of tuned-in ears. The intimate environment creates the perfect atmosphere for such nights to impeccably flourish. Within this scenario, the Birmingham return saw an off-the -scale upgrade and a performance leaving the head scratching of a similar experience in the flawless category.
The evening was part of a short UK tour promoting an upcoming EP titled THE BIG FEELINGS. It is good that Andrews has this side of the pond on her touring horizon at the moment and long may it continue. Scanning her solo back catalogue reveals several short releases nestled alongside full length albums, so it is not surprising that an EP follows last year's MODERN AGE record. The set list featured a handful of new songs including the title track, the aforementioned 'Joy Ride', which was the first single release, and 'Old Scars' - a song inspired by a friendship with a homeless person.
We didn't have to wait long in the first set for a couple of fan favourites to feature. 'Sorry Now' opened the evening and a few songs later we were treated to the utterly gorgeous 'Sanctuary', a co-written song soaring to fame in the UK via the TV show Nashville. Among the many exposures into the music mind of Jill Andrews we learned of her thrill for co-writing and how writing for the small screen had boosted her solo career. Deep in the second set, she played 'Tell That Devil', chosen as the theme tune for Wynonna Earp.
The latter showed a different style to Jill Andrews' 'repertoire', a darker punchier sound in contrast to a trademark soft spin on a triangular axis of country, folk and Americana. Underpinning her craft is a high calibre singer-songwriter with an effortless delivery poise, who you feel with a prevailing wind could light up some of the UK's grander venues. Probably more lucrative than the Kitchen Garden, though never supplanting that special feel of connectivity.
The first set contained more chatty nuggets than the second, which rolled out as a song continuation. Inevitable touring quips about the UK filtered out, pertinent on an evening when heavy rain lashed down on the nearby patio roof adding at least some element of rhythmic percussion. More enlightening were comments on the echo qualities surrounding her Parthenon Sessions release where some of her popular songs were given a regal and ancient makeover in a Nashville replica.
The song that rose to prominence for me was 'Drive Away With You'. One of several second set numbers that seamlessly flowed when in the zone. This was lifted from another EP titled ELLEN. There is a whole raft of solo Jill Andrews work to check out online, and if you want to delve further then a trio of albums from the early 2000s exist when she was part of the highly acclaimed duo Everybodyfields. As rich is her past, the future looks well-stocked and ready to plough on in a similar vein. Good news for UK fans buying into her touring shows.
Jill Andrews' previous visit to Birmingham was anxiously spent wondering if a fan comment that Robert Plant would turn up was true. Maybe more likely if playing his neighbouring Worcestershire where he is regularly seen checking out first rate Americana talent. Alas, he didn't appear again this evening, but there were forty superstars present, attentively locked into a talented artist playing supremely delightful music that matters.
