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from The Scotsman by Jonathan Melville IN the opening moments of last night's sold-out Sharleen Spiteri concert at the Playhouse, just for a few seconds, as the lighting changed between songs, the stage was bathed in a blue/grey light that looked remarkably like black and white. It's apt then that the next two hours should harken back to those old 1960s TV specials where the likes of Nancy Sinatra and Dusty Springfield would wow the studio-bound crowds with the latest chart toppers while viewers watched at home on flickering screens. After a staggering 22 years as the lead singer of Texas, Spiteri has freed herself from the shackles of the band and decided to go it alone on her first solo tour. Refusing to stand still for more than a few seconds, Spiteri was every inch the perfect hostess, her 60s image completed with the stage dressed like the front room of the type of trendy Mayfair pad that probably never existed but should have done. Opening with the slow Francoise, the blistering It Was You soon got the audience on their feet, where they would remain for much of the night. The seven-strong all-male band, each clad in matching tailored suits to complement the lounge lizard feel of the saxophone-infused music, helped bring the song to a rousing close before Spiteri engaged in some light-hearted Burns night banter with the crowd. With new album Melody clocking in at just shy of 38 minutes, there was never going to be enough material to fill the show's 120-minute running time, meaning new versions of some classic Texas hits made a welcome appearance alongside a few covers. Black Eyed Boy was the first "oldie" to get an airing, followed by the Supremes-influenced Day Trip. Both received a raucous appreciation from the crowd, no doubt aided by Spiteri's infectious enthusiasm for her material. Where Did It Go Wrong continued to show the more personal side to the new songs' lyrics before the singer sat at her keyboard to play the much loved 1997 hit, Say What You Want. From here there was barely time for either the band or the audience to catch their breaths, the songs coming at breakneck speed – the Bond theme-esque Melody; the soul influenced You Let Me Down; a rockabilly version of I Don't Want a Lover; and a pared down cover of the Clash's Should I Stay Or Should I Go? While Halo was for a few minutes the hit of the night, a rendition of These Boots Were Made For Walking soon took that mantle, only to be outdone by encore performances of both 2008 single All The Times I Cried and Inner Smile. Ending with a second encore, a rousing version of Tina Turner's River Deep, Mountain High, Spiteri more than proved she can do it on her own, combining sixties' retro chic with a noughties twist that wouldn't be out of place in the Las Vegas of any generation. |