Beth Hart
Live At The Royal Albert Hall
Beth Hart is nothing if not an enigma. Part Boadicea warrior woman, defiant and fearless in the spotlight, part giggling schoolgirl surprised to find herself at the RAH in the first place. She’s got a voice that scrapes every ounce of misery and loss she’s ever suffered into a package powerful enough to warn ships in fog, then inserts a quavering trill into it that sounds like technique rather than torment. That trill is
the point where your mileage may vary, but for those who can get past it the album is a treat. It begins with Hart singing a capella, wandering the aisles alone – a supremely confident way to start any show – and continues with a set that’s part performance, part sincere confessional. The highlights are Your Heart Is As Black As Night and the closing Caught Out In The Rain, where the unhurried songs allow that remarkable voice to truly shine.
fraser lewry