Barbara’s Brewhouse set ached with angst
It was standing room only as Barbara Nesbitt brought her angelic voice and touchingly tormented lyrics to the Allanwater Brewhouse.
The intimacy of the Allanwater enhanced the emotional content of the performance and emphasised just how deeply she draws from her personal experiences.
A performer who has shared a stage with the likes of country legend Willie Nelson, Barbara’s appearance represented a coup for The Brewhouse, which is in the process of a re-launch as a drinks and entertainment venue by owner Douglas Ross.
Adroitly accompanied by the peerless Malcolm Webster on steel pedal, Nesbitt’s interpretation of bluegrass left her audience feeling evergreen as she worked her way through a set that ached with angst.
Perhaps the highlight of a performance that will long resonate was the heart-rendering ‘All I Can Do’ where the poignancy of the
Review by RJ Mitchell
‘gal from Georgia’s’ lyrics and the quality of her faultless clear soprano reached a heart-rending crescendo.
Barbara is not just a singersongwriter, she is a performer, and as she revealed the inspirations behind her lyrics this only enhanced the impact of imaginatively entitled tracks like ‘Murder Rules’ that didn’t just pull at your heart strings but ripped them clean out.
Perhaps the colour and imagination of lyrics tantalisingly teased from the seemingly humdrum of everyday life was never better illustrated than by the revelation that the song ‘Don’t Be Mad’ was derived from an argument with a lady called Josephine over the right to dry Barbara’s hair.
All of which will mean that the memory of a voice laced with a whisky tinge, lyrics aching with inner angst and musicality or rare poignancy will linger long in the memory of a captivated crowd who just didn’t want to leave.