I first saw Barbara Dickson in Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers— it’s still running—more than 20 years ago. Her excellent voice was the focus of the show and, despite never having acted before, she was awarded Actress of the Year in a Musical by the West End Theatres Society. Since then, she has acted in many TV dramas, has recorded many albums and has become a touring diva. Her appearance at the Shaw last night & tonight represents the last stop in a nationwide tour.

She sings a mix of contemporary & folk songs in a still-excellent voice, with a wide vocal range and in this show, she sang songs from her latest album, Time & Tide, including her self-penned "Palm Sunday" and her '70s hit "Answer Me." In two sets, she sang some 20 songs, backed by a quintet of excellent multi-instrumental musicians playing Pete Zorn, Nick Holland (?), Brad Lang, Russell Field & Troy Donockley – the latter’s excellent arrangements producing a mellifluous sound. (I was refused a programme, so I’m uncertain who was playing what – but Troy was playing the Uillean Pipes, half-sister to the bagpipes.)

Her audience was clearly in the fan category, rising to acclaim her and lining up for her signature on their just-acquired CDs. But I was harbouring some regrets: almost all the songs in her second set were slow ballads and the last of those, the exaggeratedly titled "Across The Universe" seemed interminable, with a repetitive lyric that was on a par with many current pop songs. I longed to hear her sing some bossa novas by Jobim or at least to vary the tempo occasionally. With a voice like hers, Barbara, I felt, was being indulgent.

Jack Jaffe
Cabaret Scenes
April 19, 2008
www.cabaretscenes.org