WEST END UNPLUGGED EPISODE 4*****

 

By Imogen

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnQT_I97Mrs

Available until: Unknown

The final concert in the West End Unplugged series is probably the best. I felt like it had more variation. Four very different singers singing contrasting music. It also seemed to have a better structure. Each singer sang two songs, one more or less after the other. There wasn’t lots of messing around with going back and forth and it also seemed safer.

Cavin Cornwall was first to sing. He opened with Mean Green Mother from Little Shop of Horrors. It was an amazing performance. He was playing the Voice of the Plant and I’ve never actually seen Little Shop but it’s possible Cavin never appeared in person in this role. But when he sang in the concert he was so animated and gave the song so much personality.. I believed he was the Voice of the Plant even though there wasn’t a plant. This is what the very greatest performers do and that’s what I do at my concerts. I did some concerts with my siblings in lockdown and when my agent found out he told my parents they had to pay me because I’m a professional! I think he just wanted his cut but he’s my agent so obviously I gave him my full support.

Cavin also sang Deep River which is a traditional Gospel song. I don’t know very much about Gospel but anyone with half a brain would know he sang the song very well. He has really amazing and beautiful voice and it’s so nice to hear bass notes sung so clearly and so well in tune. Have you noticed that some operatic basses just sort of vaguely rumble? Cavin isn’t like them. He sings every note with conviction

Katie Brayben accompanied herself on the piano in Picture in a Frame by Tom Waite. It didn’t really seem like a performance. It’s like she was singing to herself or to the subject of the song. Sometimes that doesn’t work because it’s like the singer shuts the audience out but this was an outpouring of emotion which the audience could feel and it really did work. Katie talked about playing Carole King in front of Carole King. I don’t think I’d mind playing a character in front of the actual person but I wouldn’t want to play Carole King. Not till I’m really old like 30 or something and I plan to put off being 30 for as long as I possibly can.

Katie also sang Both Sides Now by Joni Mitchell. I don’t really get the whole Joni Mitchell thing. Maybe I’m too young. But maybe the best singers are the ones who can make songs I don’t like sound good. Katie is obviously a great singer.

Richard Fleeshman and Celinde Schoemaker didn’t social distance but they’re in a bubble so it’a okay. They’ve been bubbling for 6 years. Celinde has nearly as much hair as me but none of hers is pink. They sang Richard’s song Big Mistake. It’s nice hearing a duet, West End Unplugged maybe should have done more because you can do different things with 2 voices and I bet there are loads of performers who live together. It’s a really good song and a beautiful tune which is quite haunting and it has nice harmonies. He used whistling and wordless singing which is really interesting and it really seemed like part of the song, not just being too lazy to write lyrics for all of it.

Their second song was more upbeat, Let’s Stay Together from Tina the Musical. Their voices blend really well. Sometimes when you get couples singing together it actually doesn’t quite work because their relationship isn’t based on their voices but these two voices go together really well.

I’m annoyed this concert series it over. It was really good.