Music review: Lisa Stansfield, Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow

LISA Stansfield’s current tour celebrates the 30th anniversary of her once ubiquitous debut album Affection. That, of course, gave birth to karaoke staple All Around The World, a deserved and appropriately globe-conquering hit (you could say it put her on the map, but I wouldn’t).

Lisa Stansfield's strong voice hasn't deserted her on this 30th anniversary tour of her debut album. Picture: RMV/Shutterstock

Lisa Stansfield, Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow ***

Hats off to Stansfield, whose strong pop-soul voice hasn’t deserted her, for avoiding the obvious move of closing with her signature tune (timestamp: it appeared precisely one hour and five minutes into her 90-minute set). She’s classier than that.

Performing before a backdrop bearing her first name in huge letters – the inalienable right of every pop star – she was flanked by a supply professional sophisti-funk band replete with Theme From Shaft guitars, bongos, flute, sax and trumpet.

I must admit, I was slightly distracted by the jocular two-man brass and woodwind section, who appeared to be enjoying an inaudible comedy banter routine for their own private amusement. It didn’t help that Mr Brass Man bore an uncanny resemblance to Alec Gilroy from Coronation Street.

The fifth song in the set, This Is The Right Time, got the crowd on their feet, where they remained for pretty much the rest of the evening. The uplifting closer was an extended and indisputably banging Samba-fied version of People Hold On, the ‘80s house hit Stansfield recorded with Coldcut.

She then encored with socially conscious soul hymn Live Together, tacitly introduced as a plea for sanity in these Brexit-scarred times. Amen, sister.

PAUL WHITELAW