New kid on the block has got it

How good is young Sheku? Does the heartwarming back story of the first black musician to win BBC Young Musician Of The Year cause the extraordinary praise the cellist has received, or is he the real deal without it? When I asked Julian Lloyd Webber that question two years ago, he unhesitatingly predicted a great future for the lad. On hearing this splendid album, I agree. He has a big, noble tone. He also has virtuosity aplenty, and a vivid musical imagination that allows him to venture into unusual territory, like his own arrangement of Bob Marley’s No Woman, No Cry. This whole album is a tribute, not just to his talent, but also to his maturity as a musician. Especially true of the live recording with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra of Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No 1. The fact he has made this tricky piece so much his own speaks volumes for his innate taste and judgment.