Review: Smile in Lichfield keeps the music of Nat King Cole and Gregory Porter alive and swinging
The songs made famous by American jazz crooner Nat King Cole endure, and are much loved by fans and by present-day singers.
American singer and songwriter Gregory Porter is one of those contemporary artists, recording an album of Cole’s songs - titled Nat King Cole And Me - in 2017.
Porter’s own compositions are much-influenced by the great man, though Porter’s dark baritone style contrasts with Cole’s more mellow tones.
The sold-out show Smile, presented at the upstairs arts centre The Hub at St Mary’s in Lichfield’s Market Square, brought the songs associated with Cole and Porter together with great panache.
The singer simply known as Sir Louis has a rich and soulful voice, and he was backed by an excellent quartet led by guitarist Tom Morgan, with pianist Matt Ratcliffe, American-born bassist Tom Hill, and drummer Carl Hemmingsley.
The show kicked off with a sensitively played instrumental version of the ballad Smile, and Sir Louis (pronounced in the American way, “Lewis”) brought plenty of vocal magic with gently swinging versions of Let There Be Love and The Sunny Side Of The Street, followed by the ballad Blue Moon - with an eloquent solo guitar introduction by Morgan.
The second half of the show concentrated on songs either written by Gregory Porter or performed by him on his many fine recordings, with Hey Laura sung in compelling style by Sir Louis.
Another passionate performance took a sidetrack into the repertoire of Michael Bublé, with Orange Coloured Sky. And the band swung delightfully with the song mostly associated with Frank Sinatra, Fly Me To The Moon.
Bassist Hill, by the way, performed as a young man with Sinatra in the USA - and he swings in a rock-solid but very expressive style that Frank must have appreciated very much.
The original recordings of Nat King Cole are widely available, but in addition to Porter’s tribute album, Canadian-born singer Diana Krall recorded Cole’s repertoire on her own superb tribute disc, All For You.
And Krall herself returns to Symphony Hall in Birmingham on October 4.
Such was the demand for tickets for the show Smile that a second performance has been arranged by The Hub for June 22.
