By Peter Maddern
The Etta James story started in 1938 and sadly ended just at the beginning of last year. It is a story of triumph over adversity; the challenges of most ordinary beginnings, all manner of missteps with alcohol and drugs and a series of bad men in her life. But what shone through and was embraced by audiences over 50 years was James’ stunning knack for lyrical invention, a stage presence that oozed charisma and a voice that allowed her to straddle the chasm between rhythm and blues and rock ‘n’ roll.
At Last! The Etta James Story is the latest Moira Bennett and Simon Myers Room 8 production team’s ‘narrative concerts’, where the lives of famous performers are told as the foreground to a two hour rendition of their music. They started with some success with The Man In Black: The Johnny Cash Story and if the local response by the audience to this show is a guide, this may well be a similarly successful production.
Of course, for such a show to work one has to find a talent to emulate if not channel the stage presence of the great singer herself. In Vika Bull the Room 8 team have struck gold, a pocket rocket who rose beyond meeting the challenges of the contract to capturing the hearts and emotions of the audience in her own right. Hers was a show of passion and force, belligerence and vocal beauty. Aided by the Essential R&B Band, Bull shared the narration with trumpeter Tibor Gyajas and allowed musical manager, John McAll on the keyboards and piano to drive compositions that while tightly arranged nonetheless allowed for distinctive variations that played nicely to Bull’s various strengths. In this regard, a couple of saxophone solos by Anton Delecca were sublime.
If not for the poor mixing that had Bull’s voice ear-piercingly challenging the band’s beat, especially in the first half, an evening of pure delight would have been had. Nonetheless, for lovers of James or of the music genre itself, At Last! The Etta James Story is a must see, a tribute show of the highest order.
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