Gig review: Alice Russell

Published on Sunday 22 November 2009 22:12

PICTURE HOUSE, EDINBURGH ***

THIS show represented a pretty big step on for Suffolk singer Alice Russell since her last Edinburgh date. Then, she was playing to a packed-out audience in the snug confines of the Voodoo Rooms, while here, she had to entertain the significantly larger Picture House crowd. In the event, the date was less than half-sold, but her fans were clearly devoted to dancing – and to Ms Russell – and the singer's infectious enthusiasm helped to carry the evening.

Perhaps best known among contemporary jazz and soul circles as a former signee to the Tru Thoughts label, and as a studio and live guest performer with the likes of Massive Attack, the Roots and Mr Scruff, Russell's solo set is far more old-school than such origins suggest. The petite blonde in the short red and black dress has a powerful jazz singer's voice, for sure, but her repertoire treads heavily on more mainstream rock territory. There are slower blues numbers here, and her cover of the White Stripes' Seven Nation Army remains her most well-known track.

This wasn't the only cover of a contemporary pop song, with a burst of Amerie's One Thing and a version of Gnarls Barkley's Crazy, which saw the track slowed down and reworked into a measured jazz torch song. These were among the best moments, as the white-suited quintet backing the cheery vocalist eased off on instrumental workouts and allowed her vocal charm and character to take hold.